RIVERVIEW, Fla. (WSVN) — Fifteen-year-old Andrew Papp emerged as a silent hero after thwarting a violent carjacking at a Tampa-area supermarket.
The incident unfolded as 42-year-old Robert Moore targeted Billie Richert in a Publix parking lot.
Principal Brian Spiro revealed Andrew’s courageous intervention, describing how the teenager decisively stepped in to protect Richert from the assailant.
“Andrew saw that as an opportunity to step in and protect her, and he did so decisively,” Spiro said.
Video footage captured the intense moment as Andrew sprinted across the grocery store lot, tackling Moore and preventing further harm.
“He told me to give him my keys, and I said no and turned away from him, and he was still all over me,” 65-year-old Richert said shortly after the attack.
In an interview, Andrew explained his actions.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” he said. “I mean that could be someone’s mom, someone’s aunt. Like if that was my mom, and someone did that to my mom, and he got away, that’s just like, that’s terrible.”
Then Dan, a former army green beret, jumped in to help.
“He was trying to grab at my chain, so I kind of held him on the ground for the cops to come,” Papp recalled.
Not even his family knew, until his father, Coy Reavis, saw a post on Facebook — asking if anyone knew that heroic boy. His father expressed pride in his son’s sense of right and wrong.
“i just tried to instill a sense of right and wrong, and thankfully he’s one of the kid that listens,” said Reavis. “I couldn’t ask for a better son. He’s humble.”
Richert, grateful for the young man’s bravery, had a heartfelt reunion with her hero over FaceTime.
“I want to thank you for helping me when I needed help. Your mama raised a good boy,” said Richert.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Richert’s granddaughters as they made Christmas cookies.
Moore now faces charges of robbery by sudden snatching and battery on a victim over 65 in connection with the incident.
Papp’s selfless act not only saved a woman but also became a shining example of doing the right thing in the face of danger.
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