The skeptics have been silenced. Any doubt of MMA star Brendan Schaub’s involvement in saving children from a crashed car was lowered, with confirmation from a first-hand responder.
Last week, a man by the name of Cesar Iban Torres had allegedly tried to kill his girlfriend and his four kids, claiming it was for them to see God. He would drive his car on the wrong side of the freeway looking for them to meet a deadly end. He was successful in getting rid of his girlfriend, Aimee Garcia. She died in the collision when the family car hit a big trailer.
Their four children would survive the crash, with the help of the former UFC fighter and other good Samaritans.
Schaub’s POV
Schaub would recall the events of the crazy story on his latest podcast.
“In the front is a lady who passed away – brain matter everywhere, blood everywhere. And the kid’s going, ‘Mama, mama!’ I go, ‘Bubba, look at me. Look at me, don’t look over there,’” Schaub said. “He was so young, it would’ve completely f*cked him up. I look at the guy and go, ‘Get a blanket, cover his mom.’
“A lady walks up. I don’t know where she came from. I go, ‘Take these two kids and run that way, run away from the car.’ She goes, ‘Well, I think it’s better to go that way.’ And I go, ‘Don’t go that way. Because the mom’s there, and they can’t see the mom. Go that way.’”
The Lady
That woman he handed off the kids to was no other than Rita Campos, a citizen who was first on the scene. She would not only provide a lot of support for the kids but for Schaub in the aftermath of the crash. The former fighter had received a lot of doubt about whether he rescued the kids at all, but Campos would confirm his involvement.
“All of a sudden all these people were texting me the story and were like, ‘This is you. This is you he’s talking about,’” Campos told MMA Junkie. “And then I watched (his podcast), and it just brought everything flying back.”
“He gave me the baby, and I just kind of started focusing on the other kids,” Campos said. “Myself and the other lady, her and I were really focused on the kids and just staying with them. I did lose sight of Brendan at that point, because that must’ve been when he left.”
Life And Death
After getting the kids out of the car, Schaub would rush out, afraid for his life given the circumstances of the area.
“The 18-wheeler, where the car hit it, it hit the gas tank,” Schaub said. “… So there’s a flow of gas, as thick as this room, flooding out. My shoes, my jeans are all covered with gas because I’m running. It smells so much like gas.”
Campos would say the same.
“The fuel was all over the place from the initial 18-wheeler that hit the car,” she said. “It was like waiting to see if the semi was gonna catch fire or anything, because it was just so crazy.”
“One of the kids, the chubby one that Brendan was describing, he said, ‘We don’t have a home anymore. We don’t have a home anymore.’ And he’s like, ‘My dad said we were going to heaven now. Am I still going to heaven? Are we still going to heaven?’” Campos said. “And I’m like, f*ck, man. ‘No, you will at some point, but not today. You’re a big brother now. You’re here to protect them, and you’re being a brave big brother.’”
Departure
Schaub’s involvement was doubted as he didn’t stay to be credited by authorities. The UFC star would explain why he left at the time he did.
“I was a little mad at myself for putting my (girlfriend) in that situation, and I have kids. I’m like, ‘Man, what the f*ck am I doing?’ So I was a little mad.
“My father-in-law (works for the California Highway Patrol), so I call him and tell him, ‘I was the first on the scene, but I didn’t stick around because it was so dangerous. Hopefully I don’t get in trouble for it, but if you need any witnesses, I saw it all.’ And he goes, ‘OK, we’ll keep you posted.’”
