The Man Who Broke Into a School to Save 24 Lives

The 2022 Buffalo blizzard was one of the deadliest winter storms in modern American history. Over four feet of snow fell in 48 hours. Temperatures dropped to single digits. Visibility was measured in inches. Over 40 people died.

Jay Withey, a 27-year-old mechanic, set out in his truck to rescue a stranded friend. His vehicle got stuck. He was alone in near-zero visibility with temperatures plummeting.

He knocked on 10 doors, begging for shelter. Every one turned him away.

Losing feeling in his extremities, Withey grabbed a brake pad from his truck and smashed a window at Pine Hill School, an elementary school on Colvin Boulevard. He climbed inside.

Over the next day, he didn't just shelter himself. He went back out into the storm and guided 24 stranded strangers into the school — including seven elderly people who had run out of heating fuel. He scavenged cereal and apples from the cafeteria, laid out gym mats for beds, and used the school's snowblower to eventually dig a path out on Sunday morning.

Before leaving, Withey left a handwritten note on a desk: "I'm terribly sorry about breaking the school window and some prior damage prior to our arrival. I had to do it to save everyone. Merry Christmas, Jay."

Police later put out a social media post asking Withey to come forward. Not because he was in trouble — because they wanted to thank him. The school district confirmed they had no intention of pressing charges. The superintendent called him a hero.