JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Kennedys are a superhero family.
Engineer Matt Kennedy is a 30-year veteran Jacksonville firefighter, and his wife, Cheryl Kennedy, has been a nurse for 26 years.
Last weekend, the couple witnessed the aftermath of a horrific deadly crash, and their instincts kicked in.
News4JAX sat down with the Kennedys to talk about how they were able to save a man and his mother from a burning SUV. (Press play below to watch the full interview)
According to the crash report, four motorcycles were traveling West on State Road 100 in Putnam County when one motorcycle bumped into the side of another, sending the first motorcycle into oncoming traffic.
That motorcyclist collided head-on with an SUV and died on the scene.
The impact caused an explosion that shot into the air, which Matt Kennedy and his wife, Cheryl, saw from their vehicle.
By the time they reached the wreck, a 59-year-old man and his mother in her 80s were stuck inside the SUV, which was on fire.
“As soon as I got out, I saw the motorcycle guy on the road. Knew he was deceased right away. Asked her to call 911, headed to the car just to, or the SUV to check and see what was going on. And it was burning from one end to the other,” Matt Kennedy said. “And the closer I got, I could hear people screaming inside it. So, yeah, it got a little hairy.”
Matt Kennedy said he tried everything he could to bust a window to help the man and his mother out.
“I beat and beat and beat and, I even put my knife in my hand and beat on it, and I just couldn’t get it to break,” he said.
Matt said he knew he had to act fast — faster than the flames that were rapidly engulfing the SUV.
“I said, ‘They’re gonna burn up if I don’t get him out of here.’ So I asked her to throw me my pistol. She threw me my pistol,” Matt Kennedy said. “I sent a round through the back glass, back right corner and I aimed it down. Hoping that it wouldn’t hit anybody. Back glass shatters and smoke rolled out.”
Cheryl’s nurse instincts also took over.
“I take him. I’m checking on him, moving him away from the fire, making sure he could breathe. He didn’t have any other injuries.”
Then the man told them his mom was in the front seat.
“So I went to the front passenger door. I didn’t I couldn’t see in it at all. And then she wasn’t screaming anymore. So, very nervous to shoot those rounds because I couldn’t see her,” Matt Kennedy said. “So, I went where her face was, right in front of her face, and shot a round through the window. Broke the glass. I was able to get up on the guardrail and we pulled her out.”
The Kennedys said they pulled her out just in time, right before her seat was annihilated by fire.
“Where she was sitting was fully involved. It was really, really close,” Matt Kennedy said.
Cheryl Kennedy said that while watching her husband was frightening, she is proud of what he did.
“I couldn’t have pulled them out of the burning car or the broken window. That’s his. That’s his forte,” Cheryl said. “I wanted to stay far enough where I could see him. In case something happened.”
Meanwhile, Matt said he was glad to have his wife by his side.
“I’m glad she was there with me. There’s no doubt about it, that’s for sure,” Matt said.
But their story doesn’t end there.
The Kennedys have four kids: Colby’s a firefighter, Tucker’s in school to be a firefighter, Brooklyn is studying to be a teacher, and Madison is a clinical mental health counselor for children.
For the Kennedys, serving their community is in their DNA.