Video: O‘Hare Hero Tug Driver Speaks!

The guy who rammed a runaway catering vehicle with a pushback tug is finally getting the credit he deserves.

Video of an out of control food cart at O'Hare International Airport
Video of an out of control food cart at O'Hare International Airport

Crazy event at ORD. Heads up safety move by a ramp worker! pic.twitter.com/SQi5zB0Ooz

— Kevin Klauer DO, EJD (@Emergidoc) September 30, 2019

You’ve probably seen the viral video. A food service cart with no one at the wheel is going full speed at a gate right next to a parked regional jet while ramp workers both dodge it and try to figure out what to do. Then it’s the tug driver to the rescue! In a recent USA Today story, the driver of that tug speaks out for the first time.

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That guy, Jorge Manalang, works for Envoy, a subsidiary of American, and he, like any real hero, is downplaying his role. In the USA Today story, he says that he was just doing his job. But watch him in action. As the catering cart gets closer and closer to the jet, Manalang waits for just the right moment and then springs into action, hitting the runaway cart a perfect tee-bone strike and knocking it over. And listen to the spectators in the concourse, where the video was shot. They know a hero when they see one in action. Great job, Jorge!

Jorge Manalang at O'Hare International Airport
Jorge Manalang, stopped a runaway food cart at O’Hare International Airport. Photo courtesy of Envoy

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