Police aim to identify man who helped save lives during Buffalo winter storm

The man reportedly rescued strangers from cars stuck in the snow, but his identity remains unknown

Police in the Buffalo area are attempting to identify a man they’ve dubbed “Merry Christmas Jay” who helped get strangers to safety during the area’s severe winter storm.

The man police are calling “Merry Christmas Jay” reportedly spent last Friday evening in a truck in the town of Cheektowaga outside of Buffalo and then spent the next morning helping people out of cars that were buried in the snow and taking them to a nearby school for shelter.

The man then left a note apologising for breaking into and damaging the school building, explaining that it was a place where people who had been stranded outside could get shelter, sustenance, and access to a bathroom. He signed the note, “Jay”.

Footage of the man was presumably captured on surveillance cameras inside the school building, but police have not yet identified who he is. They say the want to share their gratitude for his heroic actions.

“Do you recognize “Merry Christmas Jay”? He pulled people from cars & sheltered them in a near by school,” the Cheektowaga police department wrote in a tweet. “He left a note apologizing for the damage & use of the snow blower he used to make a path to the school.We want to thank “Jay” for his heroic actions that saved people’s lives.”

The winter storm had devastating consequences in Western New York, where 37 people have died in Erie County since the storm’s onset.