Woman begged teen to save woman from her ‘kidnapper,’ so he did the unthinkable — and befriended him
Maylyk Bonnet was waiting for a bus to his home after finishing his shift when he saw a couple having a fight on the street.
A 17-year-old in Laval, Quebec, is being hailed as a hero after he intervened in a kidnapping situation and helped a woman escape her abusive ex-boyfriend. On August 1, 2015, Malyk Bonnet was heading home from his restaurant job when he noticed a couple arguing near a bus stop. The man was yelling and pushing the woman, and Bonnet immediately felt that something was wrong. "The guy was screaming at her. He wasn’t really gentle with her, and I started watching, because I thought he would hit her," he later told CBC News.
The couple asked Bonnet for bus money for a ride to Laval. Sensing the woman’s fear, he used the opportunity to get cash from a convenience store. Alone for a moment, the woman pleaded with him: "Please help me. He don’t want to let me go. I want to go home, but he don’t want to let me go." Although Bonnet lived in Montreal, he lied and said he was also going to Laval. His plan was simple: keep them in public places until police could intervene. He chatted with the man, acted friendly, and gained his trust while the three boarded a bus and later transferred to the metro.
What Bonnet didn’t know was that police were already searching for the woman. She had been abducted earlier that day by her former partner, who had a history of violence and was under a restraining order. Laval police described the suspect as "very dangerous." When they arrived in Laval, Bonnet offered to take them to a Tim Hortons and even handed the man $50 to buy food. "Money ain’t nothing. Food ain’t nothing. For a life? A life is really more important than my money," he explained. His cellphone had died, so he pretended to go to the washroom, borrowed a phone, and called the police.
Officers arrived within minutes, arrested the suspect, and rescued the woman. She didn’t speak at first, but Bonnet remembers her expression: "She was almost crying. She was so happy, so happy not to be with him." Police charged the man with kidnapping, forcible confinement, and assault. Lt. Daniel Guérin of Laval police praised Bonnet’s actions: "He managed the situation very well and took good decisions that probably saved the life of this woman."
Just like Bonnet, there are so many people who choose to step in when they see someone in trouble. A 2019 study led by Richard Philpot reviewed more than 200 real-world altercations in public spaces and discovered that in 91% of cases, at least one bystander stepped in to help, whether by distracting the aggressor, offering comfort to the victim, or finding a way to get outside help. Far from the so-called "bystander effect," the study showed that ordinary people often do act.
Bonnet’s bravery impressed officers so much that they collected money to reimburse the expenses he had covered. He had spent around $120 that night; the police presented him with $255 and gave him a tour of headquarters. Bonnet, who admitted he had past run-ins with the law, said the experience gave him a new perspective on police. "Now I realize what I did and wow... It’s really awesome. I mean, I saved a life!" CBC’s report showed strangers stopping to shake his hand, congratulate him, and even ask for selfies. His face appeared on the front page of the Journal de Montreal. "My mom is so proud of me. She bought like eight Journals. She's like, 'I'm going to show them to your kids one day," he said.
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