News Brooklyn Boro

Borough President Adams honors four crime-fighting Brooklyn heroes

Woman Thanks Duo Who Protected Her from Rape: ‘They Saved My Life’

January 12, 2017 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (left) honored four Brooklyn residents on Wednesday afternoon as part of his continuing “Heroes of the Month” program, where he highlights ordinary Brooklynites who do extraordinary acts. Shown: Adams presents Luis Ruiz (center) and his stepson Antonio Pina with awards for their roles in saving a woman from an attempted rape in East Williamsburg. Photo: Erica Sherman/Brooklyn BP’s Office

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (left) honored four Brooklyn residents on Wednesday afternoon as part of his continuing “Heroes of the Month” program, where he highlights ordinary Brooklynites who do extraordinary acts. Shown: Adams presents Luis Ruiz (center) and his stepson Antonio Pina with awards for their roles in saving a woman from an attempted rape in East Williamsburg. Photo: Erica Sherman/Brooklyn BP’s Office

Share this:

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams honored four Brooklyn residents on Wednesday afternoon as part of his continuing “Heroes of the Month” program, where he highlights ordinary Brooklynites who do extraordinary acts.

The honorees included Luis Ruiz and his stepson Antonio Pina, a karate-instructing duo from East Williamsburg who saved a woman from an attempted rape; Ahmed Khalifa, a Muslim Midwood High School student who helped cops arrest the attacker of an Orthodox Jewish woman on the subway; and NYPD Detective Steven Franzel, who was the lead investigator on an operation that resulted in the arrest of more than 40 gang members.

Ruiz and Pina were the November heroes of the month, Khalifa was honored for December and Franzel was given the award for January.

Family, friends and colleagues of each of the honorees were on hand to watch the ceremony, which took place at the Brooklyn Borough Hall Rotunda.

“These individuals go above and beyond,” said Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Diana Reyna. “They are no less than guardian angels… This is community policing at its best. It is important that we continue to fight crime and fighting crime together is the theme of this batch of heroes.

“Ensuring public safety is not only dependent upon our police but that every resident contributes to that effort,” she continued. “These four Brooklynites exemplify what it means to go above and beyond.”

“All of these honorees exemplify Brooklyn in spirit,” added Adams. “Far too often people stand back and watch things happen and say it’s not their business.”

Also at the ceremony was Miriam Braverman, the woman who was saved from sexual assault by Ruiz and Pina.

“There’s a saying in Judaism that if you save one life, you save the entire world,” said Braverman, teary-eyed and grinning. “It never made any sense until this happened. They saved my life. Everything I do now will be from that time until the end of my life. Maybe now I’ll get married and can have children.”

Adams also notified the audience that Khalifa is ironically a student at Ruiz and Pina’s karate school.

“[Khalifa] is a student in the karate school and didn’t even know it, so it goes to show you that [Ruiz and Pina] are teaching something there more than a few kicks and throwing punches,” said Adams. “They’re teaching character and discipline.”

Have questions or comments? Reach reporter Scott Enman at [email protected].

Leave a Comment

Click here to cancel reply.