Heroes and miracles are the subject of this week’s Feel-Good Friday.
One of the air traffic horrors of last week occurred in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. At last report, seven people are dead and 19 injured, when a Learjet 55 being used as a medical transport crashed in a northeast Philadelphia neighborhood. The six people on the medical transport jet, including a child, are dead. Thirty-seven year-old Steven Dreuitt and his son were found inside a vehicle where the plane crashed. Dreuitt was pronounced dead at the scene, and his 9-year-old son was transported to a hospital. The young boy was burned over 90 percent of his body, and is fighting for his life. Prayers up for him.
But the members of another family impacted by the crash all survived, and their story is one of heroism and fortitude.
The 10-year-old boy’s family told NBC10 that he is making strides as he recovers from emergency brain surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
When Trey first woke up from surgery, his first concern was the safety of his sister followed by if he missed the Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl matchup.
A young man after my own heart. He is in touch with sports and the culture, obviously rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles. But more importantly, he is in touch with being a protector. Young Trey shielded his sister and took the debris himself, requiring brain surgery, according to the NBC News Philadelphia story linked above:
Trey was in a car with his dad and two siblings when he was hit in the head by a piece of debris back on Jan. 31, 2025. His family said that he shielded his sister from the danger. His heroic actions were praised by his idols, like AJ Brown from the Eagles. The wide receiver expressed his support for Trey on X and in a pre-game press conference Wednesday.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end AJ Brown gave Trey a shout out on X.
It is a miracle that Trey survived.
“Felt like it was a movie, like a horror movie,” said Trey’s dad, Andre Howard Jr.
Andre says he was picking up donuts with three of his kids — ages 4, 7 and 10 — when the jet came crashing down.
“Sounded like a missile was firing bullets, metal at my car, everyone else’s car,” Andre recalled. “You see a car on fire, a man walking on fire. It was just crazy.”
He immediately backed up his car while his son Trey covered his little sister, protecting her.
“I turn around and he has metal outside of his head,” Andre described.
He said he used socks and another man’s shirt to try and stop the bleeding.
A police officer then rushed them to the hospital, where Trey had emergency brain surgery.
That night, Andre says the family was told, “it was a strong chance he might not survive.”
Miraculously, he’s now awake and recovering — even talking!
“They did an A+ job on my son. Praise God, they did a great job,” Andre said.
WATCH:
“He asked me, ‘Daddy, what’s today?’ I was like, ‘Monday.’ ‘OK, wait. We didn’t play yesterday did we?’ ‘No, you didn’t miss the Super Bowl,'” Andre said, describing his son as a die-hard Eagles fan.
He was also concerned for his little sister.
“It had me crying,” Andre said, recalling when Trey asked, “Daddy, did I save my sister?”
“‘You told us to get down. I was just trying to help my sister.. next thing I know, I thought I died,'” Andre said his son told him in the hospital.
“As a dad, its bittersweet… I’m glad he listened but that’s my job, not his job, to protect his sister,” he added.
May this precious one continue to heal, and be a shining example of a good brother and a brave hero.
