What began as a quick stop before heading out to go fishing turned into a heroic act that now has an entire community talking about the importance of helping others.
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Three Cooper City High School students were recognized by the city after stepping in during a medical emergency that could have ended in tragedy.
The incident happened Sunday, April 19, shortly after 2:30 p.m., on Flamingo Road just north of Stirling Road.
Logan Royer, 16; Cody Magrone, 16; and Brody Murray, 17, had planned to go fishing and stopped at a nearby McDonald’s to grab a drink when they noticed a man pulled over on the roadside trying to change a tire.
At first, it looked like nothing more than a mechanical problem.
They walked over to help. But once they got there, they quickly realized the situation was far more serious.
65-year-old Diego Fernández-Delgado was having trouble breathing, sweating heavily, and complaining of severe chest pain. His phone was out of battery, and he had no way to call for help.
“When I saw that I couldn’t [change the tire] anymore, you lose hope,” Fernández-Delgado said. “And then I heard their voices.”
That’s when the teenagers sprang into action. Fernández-Delgado told them to call 911, which Logan did while they waited for emergency crews.
“I don’t know how he did it, to be able to give all the information [about where we were],” Fernández-Delgado said. “Three angels arrived in the same moment.”
Bodycam video shows an officer approaching the teens as Fernández-Delgado kneels by the passenger side door.
“Sir, are you OK?” the officer asks, while Fernández-Delgado clutches his chest. “The rescue is here to check you out. Your chest hurt?”
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According to authorities, Fernández-Delgado was suffering a heart attack, and the teens’ quick response likely saved his life.
He was taken to Memorial Hospital West, where he received medical treatment and later underwent several procedures.
During a special session held Tuesday, May 12, at Cooper City Hall, the city commission officially recognized the teenagers for their actions.
“I was really like, wow. We actually did that. And God sent us to help that guy. It was very, very, like, a miracle,” Logan said.
He remembered the moment he realized how serious the situation was.
“When Cody and Brody were changing the tire, I noticed him sitting in the passenger seat, and he was heavy breathing, sweating a lot, not really speaking to me,” Logan said. “It was very shocking to me… I thought he was having a heatstroke at first.”
Fernández-Delgado’s son, Cristian, told authorities that he was deeply grateful for what the teens did for his father.
He said his father had been praying for help, knowing the situation was dire.
“God didn’t send angels with wings. He sent those boys,” Cristian Fernández said.
The city also spotlighted a mechanics class taught at Cooper City High School that officials said built their “confidence to help in the first place.”
“I immediately texted his teacher… and let him know, what you’re doing is working,” Melinda Magrone, Cody’s mother, said, “because this kid just changed a tire and saved a guy’s life.”
The City of Cooper City said the teens’ actions reflect the values of solidarity and compassion that define the community, and showed how a simple act of kindness can make the difference between life and death.
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