SC ‘hero’ found lost Chester man 50 miles away from home — so she helped a stranger
Spartanburg is in upstate South Carolina about 50 miles from Chester.
Yet a Spartanburg woman who helped a lost driver from Chester County showed there is no measurement for the human heart.
The woman is being called a hero and example for all by police.
Betty Jones, saw a car in traffic in Spartanburg Saturday afternoon that was sitting with a blinker on, Spartanburg Police Department officers said in a Facebook post. Jones stopped and found the 84-year-old driver was lost and confused, police said.
The driver, Jack Matthews, 84, had been reported missing on Friday, officials in the Chester County Sheriff’s Office said. It was believed Matthews may have been driving north to Rock Hill but he ended up west in Spartanburg, officials said. Matthews did not have his needed medications, deputies said.
‘Hero’ stops to help
After Jones stopped and helped Matthews, Spartanburg police praised her as a citizen hero.
“After realizing the driver was lost and confused, she was able to obtained a relative’s phone number from the driver’s medical bracelet,” Spartanburg police said in a statement. “Ms. Jones called 911 and stayed with the subject until police and EMS arrived.”
The driver received medical treatment and was reunited with his family, officials said.
Thanks from Chester sheriff
Postings about Jones’ actions to help a stranger were shared on Facebook hundreds of times.
One person stated: “There should be more people like Mrs. Jones in this world.”
Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey said the grace of Jones helping another person shows the meaning of community and love as the holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas approaches.
“I want to thank Betty Jones of Spartanburg for helping us find our missing person,” Dorsey said Monday. “Her vigilance and willingness to help others should be an example of how we should all treat one another.”
Dorsey also thanked the Spartanburg Police Department and Spartanburg EMS.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 1:13 PM with the headline "SC ‘hero’ found lost Chester man 50 miles away from home — so she helped a stranger."
