Two sanitation workers in New Iberia, Louisiana, went above and beyond the call of duty during their recent Monday-morning route. They noticed a seemingly abandoned car in the middle of a field and realized it had been reported in an Amber Alert issued earlier that morning.
Ten-year-old Jalisa Lasalle went missing from a family member’s home Sunday afternoon and was last reported entering the vehicle Pelican Waste & Debris workers Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine found in the field.
In an act of divine inspiration, Merrick and Antoine called the police and used the waste truck they were driving to block the car from leaving.
Young Lasalle was found safe Monday morning in St. Martin Parish.
Because of the duo’s heroic actions, Lasalle’s life and the lives of other potential victims were spared.
When he shared his story, Merrick credited the Holy Spirit for his quick thinking: “That’s God. That’s why I say that man is real. A lot of people don’t believe in Him, but they need to start believing in Him. … Something told me … something told me to just look.”
His Good Samaritan moment highlighted the supernatural power of God’s presence in times of crisis, even if, as Merrick says, “I was just doing my job, and I came across somebody that needed help.”
He also credits his paternal instincts for kicking in: “She’s safe. Thank God because I’ve got a little girl, you know what I mean.”
And when all was said and done, Merrick encourages the rescued girl’s parents to thank God. “It could have been worse. Anything could have happened.”
Merrick goes on to say that it’s not enough to just be in the right place at the right time—taking action when he saw something amiss was how he fulfilled the biblical reminder in James 4:17: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin.”
Hear more of the details in this video from The Associated Press.
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