Who is Justin Herron? Patriots player hailed HERO after rescuing woman from sexual assault at Arizona park
Two men, including New England Patriots offensive lineman Justin Herron, came forward to stop an attempted sexual assault on Saturday, March 20, at an Arizona park. The police have now honored NFL player Herron and his friend with an award for their bravery.
On Wednesday, March 24, Herron, 25, and Murry Rogers, of Phoenix, were awarded “Outstanding Service” awards by the Tempe Police Department. The two men were praised for stopping Kevin Caballero, 30, who was charged with kidnapping and attempt to commit sexual assault.
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According to the police department, at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, a 71-year-old woman was walking through Kiwanis Park in Tempe when she was assaulted. Herron, who was working out at the park as part of his off-season training in Arizona, heard a woman screaming. Herron said he saw Caballero threatening to attack the woman. “At that moment, I was in shock,” Herron told the Republic. “It was 11 a.m., middle of the day, in a very open field and the fact that it happened there at that time was just very shocking. I wish I could tell you what I was thinking, but I could just tell someone needed help. All I could do was rush myself over there to make sure I could help the victim and I could comfort her and be the best person I can be," Herron said.
“I’m a football player, I’m kind of big (6-foot-4, 308 pounds). I try not to be too aggressive with people knowing I could potentially hurt somebody,” Herron added. “I do have a loud voice. I yelled, told him to get off of her and then yanked him off and I told him to sit down and I told him to wait until the cops come.” “There are so many heroes that go unnoticed on a daily basis,” Herron said. “I was just doing what anyone else would do in that moment," he added.
Rogers, who also ran to the scene, said both men felt an obligation to help out. “I’m almost twice as old as Justin,” Rogers told the Republic. “So I did my best to run to the situation, and help however I could. We were yelling at him to get off. Once the attacker got off the victim, we looked at each other and said, ‘We have to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.’ A lot of effort was spent on making sure he sat down, didn’t move and would wait for the police.”
Tempe Police tweeted the brave story on Twitter saying: "Our sincere gratitude to the two hero’s that saved an elderly victim of a vicious attack. Can’t miss this story. @azfamily
@12News @FOX10Phoenix @abc15 @Patriots".
Our sincere gratitude to the two hero’s that saved an elderly victim of a vicious attack. Can’t miss this story. @azfamily @12News @FOX10Phoenix @abc15 @Patriots pic.twitter.com/Tw1woCrewA
— Tempe Police (@TempePolice) March 24, 2021
Who is Justin Herron?
Born on November 27, 1995, Herron, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, played in 12 games for the Patriots last season. He was in Arizona training and getting ready for his second year in the league.
Herron studied at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, where he played as an offensive lineman Apart from football, he played baseball and basketball and was a trumpeter in the jazz band. Reggie's father played basketball at Villanova. His uncle Keith was a second-round selection in the 1978 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and played 5 seasons in the NBA.