MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Navesink Fire Company honored a teenage boy from Middletown last week, because he ran to the rescue of a girl who had become seriously injured in an e-bike crash last month.
Aidan Frasca, 16 and about to turn 17, is a student at Middletown High School North. He is also a member of Middletown Boy Scout Troop 22.
On the afternoon of Oct. 19, a girl, estimated to be anywhere from 8-10, was riding her e-bike through his neighborhood. Frasca, who was home at the time; his family lives on Campbell Avenue, heard screaming and crying coming from the street.
The girl had fallen about four houses down from his house, and he raced out the door to help her. He found the young girl "crying hysterically" in the street, said witnesses, and he picked her up and brought her to his front porch. There, he calmed her down, got bandages for her wounds and directed her to call her parents. The girl was quite seriously injured in the e-bike crash: She was bleeding "a lot" when he picked her up off the street, and she had broken her arm.
Her mother arrived minutes later and got her to drive her home. When the girl's e-bike wouldn't fit in her mother's car, Frasca put it in his car and drove it to her home.
Troop 22
he's the rank right before Eagle scout - life scout
Frasca never got a chance to tell his mom and dad what happened, or what he had done. The girl's grateful mother later came by their house with her daughter to drop off a gift card of thanks, and only Frasca's sister was home. She took the gift card, thanked them for it and mentioned at the dinner table that people stopped by earlier that day.
Frasca's mother and father said they were stunned and had no idea.
But who wasn't stunned? Dr. Michael Marchetti, Frasca's troop leader in Boy Scout Troop 22. He said this is what he expects his troop members to do.
"I've known Aidan for years since he came into our troop, and he's a wonderful young man. He's currently right below the rank of Eagle Scout," said Marchetti.
Marchetti said preparedness, quick thinking and helping others is what he and other Scout leaders try to teach the boys of Troop 22.
"This is why I'm in this program, to help develop kids into excellent young men like Aidan. He's really coming into his own with his take-charge attitude. We've got enough bad news going on in the world," he continued. I'm very glad we're making a positive impact and what we're doing is rubbing off."
Other people are noticing. Last Thursday, Nov. 5, Frasca was honored by the men of the Navesink Firehouse, which commended him for the rescue.
"Last night, we presented Aidan with a certificate of heroism for his quick thinking, skill and compassion in responding to this emergency," said the firehouse. "You don't need to run into a burning building to be a hero — sometimes it's as simple as doing the right thing when no one else does."
Frasca will also be honored by Boy Scouts USA.
The woman of the injured girl also posted in one of the Middletown Facebook groups, informing the community about the incident and publicly thanking and praising the teen.
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