From saving lives to delivering babies, this past year, KNX News honored some incredible people who went above and beyond to keep our community safe, healthy and inspired.
Heroes host Heather Jordan looks back at some of our most inspiring stories!
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We start with Hero Hector Gonzalez, the good Samaritan who pulled a CHP officer from the scene of a crash seconds before his wrecked patrol car burst into flames.
When we first met Gonalez, it was as a Heroes nominee, but once our Heather Jordan learned that Officer G. Chavez and Gonalez had never met, she helped reunite the CHP officer with his rescuer.
The emotional meeting between Officer Chavez and Hector Gonzalez was truly one we'll never forget.
KNX Heroes: When two heroes meet
We also had a group of Heroes from the Manhattan Beach Fire Department who took part in a special delivery.
Back in November, a pregnant Hanna Phillips had just gotten home from a walk and was making a snack when her water broke. So she called 911, and the responders helped deliver a healthy baby girl.
Phillips said every firefighter from that day will forever be a hero to her family.
KNX Heroes: Firefighters delivering under pressure
Marine staff sergeant Josue Fragoso was also honored for his quick thinking and heroic action, apprehending two jewelry thieves during an active smash-and-grab in Torrance.
While working at a recruiting office at the Del Amo Fashion Center, Fragoso heard glass being smashed at a nearby jewelry store, so he and a recruit rushed over, grabbing two of the four culprits.
Fragoso credits his seven years in the Marines for giving him the ability to keep his composure in a stressful situation like stopping an active crime.
KNX Hero: Thwarting smash-n-grab in Torrance
Security officer Jack Hibard of Hemet was also in the right place at the right time, knowing precisely what to do when he found a woman unresponsive in a local office building.
The woman stopped breathing, so Hibard performed CPR, bringing her back to life and keeping her steady until paramedics arrived.
Firefighters said he likely saved the woman's life, and if not for a delay in his trip to help Maui wildfire recovery efforts, Hibard would not have been there - talk about right place right time!
KNX Hero: In the right place at the right time
Sometimes, a hero is a person who is full of light and love, and that's the best way to describe KNX Hero Shirley Raines.
Raines is the power behind the non-profit organization Beauty 2 the Streetz. She's uplifting homeless people, college students, and other communities in need with her compassion, smile, and style.
Her outreach covers all of California and beyond, providing people with food, clothing, words of wisdom, and other life-changing supplies.
"Seeing a little child with a mother holding a hand hungry or seeing an elder person trying to find a place to get more. That's my motivation," said Raines.
KNX Hero: Reframing trauma to bring 'Beauty 2 The Streetz'
While these are some of the year's highlights, 2023 had no shortage of people worthy of the title KNX Hero of the Week, and we look forward to a new year filled with more inspirational, motivational, and life-changing stories.
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