- Robert Hearnes jumped through a truck window, wrestled the keys away from the suspected intoxicated driver.
- The driver was a threat to homes, vehicles, and families making their way through the Dundee following a Memorial Park concert.
- While officers acknowledged the danger of what he did, they praised his bravery and presented him with a sticker on the scene. Hearnes used the moment to remind the public to plan ahead and never drink and drive.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A man intervened to stop an allegedly intoxicated driver from injuring people in Omaha's Dundee neighborhood following a Memorial Park concert.
21-year-old Robert Hearnes was in the area when crowds of families were making their way through the streets of Dundee after the Memorial Park concert. People nearby told him the driver had already hit multiple vehicles.
Hearnes approached the truck and took action.
"I, like, walked up to the driver window, pitted and parked, and then, he put it back in the drive, and he started, fighting with me, like, putting it park and drive, and I was, like, afraid that he was gonna slam on the gas, out of panic, and he was drunk, as well. So then I, like, jumped through the window, slammed in the park again, started, wrestling with them for the keys, and I took the keys out, got out the truck waved them in the air so everybody knew the keys were gone," Hearnes said.
A neighbor confirmed the driver had struck at least one vehicle before Hearnes intervened.
"I didn't see him damage it, but the neighbor at the corner house, he came out, and he was holding his rearview mirror, and it was like, Hey, man, like, you hit my truck," Hearnes said.
According to the police report, the driver blew a .214 on the breathalyzer test, which is nearly 2 and a half times the legal limit.
Omaha police recognized Hearnes for his quick thinking and selfless actions.
"It made me feel really good about it, 'cause the cop, he honestly told me, like, this is a dangerous situation, and maybe I shouldn't be doing, like, putting myself, like, between harm's way, but I was like, I would do it any day, like, any time of the week. And then he was like, I'm very proud of what you did. And then, uh, he gave me the sticker, he put it on my chest. It just felt good," Hearnes said.
With the busy holiday weekend underway, Hearnes is reminding drivers to never get behind the wheel after drinking, and to plan ahead by using a designated driver or rideshare service.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
