First Coast News morning anchor Phil Amato was in the right place at the right time for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s department. Amato was credited with helping Officer Mike Blanton (pictured right) catch a suspect who was on the run from the police.
On the Friday morning newscast for the Jacksonville, FL, ABC-NBC affiliate, Amato told viewers, “I was coming back from breakfast, driving my pickup truck at the time and saw the chase. Well, the suspect ran out from in between two houses and I just happened to be right there.”
Amato said he stopped his truck, the suspect hopped in the back followed closely by Officer Blanton. After a brief struggle, the suspect was arrested. Amato said the suspect was wanted for armed burglary and hitting someone in the head with a cinder block.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office posted a note of thanks to Amato and Blanton on its facebook page, “Thank you both for a job well done and getting another criminal off the streets of Jacksonville!” You can watch the video the Sheriff’s Office posted to its YouTube page of Amato telling the story after the jump
The staff at First Coast News asked viewers to give Amato a superhero name. Amato suggested “Mr. Serendipity” for being at the right place at the right time.
[WJCT]