Atlantic City honors good Samaritan caught on camera breaking up fight
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A Good Samaritan was honored in Atlantic City for helping to make peace between two teenagers who were literally in the middle of a street fight.
On Wednesday, he got the attention of City Council members.
While many people were praising Miller for breaking up a fight, he used his moment in the spotlight to honor someone else - his mother.
"People get 15 minutes of fame a lot, and I would like to use every second of the 15 minutes to send gratitude to my mother," he said.
Choking back tears, he gave credit to his mother during the council meeting.
The actions of the 26-year-old were seen more than 28 million times on Facebook, actions he says are a reflection of how Sabrina Winters raised him. He said that she forced him to read books and write a short story or poem each time he was punished as a child.
"When we were young, she'd put pretzel sticks across the table," he said. "She said those pretzel sticks are the right path, and the rest of the table is the wrong path, and that it's very, very difficult to stay on the right path."
Winters was proud she was able to have such an impact on her son.
"One thing I always told them in making decisions is think about the best thing that can happen and worst thing that can happen," she said. "Because either side has consequences."
The two teens in the video - Sheldon Ward and Jamar Mobley - also thanked Miller for stopping their brawl. Their mothers stood next to Miller at the ceremony.
"A couple days ago,I was thinking it was cool to fight in front of my friends or I need this fame," Mobley said. "But it really doesn't mean nothing at all, so I want to say thank you again."
Miller hopes the lesson lasts longer than his 15 minutes.
"I hope that this is something that will influence people to do more character building," he said. "Because that's what these young kids need. They need character building."
Miller has drawn wide praise, including a message of support on Twitter from LeBron James, who saluted the man "who stepped in and spoke real to our young generation."
