Malyk Bonnet doesn't think of himself as a hero, but that is exactly what he's being called after, authorities say, the 17-year-old helped save a woman's life.
"I'm just a normal guy," Malyk told Dateline NBC. "I guess I saved a life, though, and that's really awesome."
On Aug. 1, Malyk had just finished working at his job at a local restaurant near his Montreal home and was standing at the bus stop. He saw a couple fighting and felt deep down that something wasn't right.
The couple approached Malyk, telling him that they needed bus fare. They told him they were headed to Laval, a city in Quebec. Malyk told the news station he had a funny feeling, so he told the couple he lived in Laval and then gave them money so they could make the trip.
"My plan was to keep them in a public place where he wouldn't hurt her," Malyk told Dateline. "I decided to be friendly with the man and have him think I was his friend. I played my game and he seemed to trust me."
Malyk's feeling was right. What he didn't know was that police had been looking for the 29-year-old woman with the man; her family had reported her missing the day before.
"We had been looking for a 29-year-old woman who had been reported kidnapped by her former boyfriend," Lt. Daniel Guerin of the Laval Police Department told Dateline. "We knew that the man was not stable. He was recently in jail for violence and had been found guilty of assault and death threats against her."
Once the threesome arrived in Laval, Malyk knew he was losing his chance, so he asked the couple if they wanted to grab something to eat. Malyk's real plan was to keep the couple busy long enough to borrow a phone.
"I borrowed a cellphone from someone because mine had died and told police that it was an emergency, that someone had been kidnapped and were at this restaurant," said Malyk.
Police arrived in minutes, and the man was taken into custody.
Since the news broke, Malyk has been warming to the idea of being a hero. His mother purchased several copies of the Journal de Montreal, where Malyk's good deed made front-page news.
"She told me she's going to tell my kids about this one day," Malyk said.
Laval police gave Malyk and his family a tour of headquarters and even collected some $250 to pay Malyk back the money he spent helping to nab the bad guy.
Lt. Guerin told Dateline that Malyk is "being nominated for an award from the department, as well as a national award for his bravery."
Malyk told the news station that he didn't get a chance to speak with the woman once her captor was arrested.
"We made eye contact and she had tears in her eyes," Malyk told the news station, adding that he was sure she was OK. "She was really happy."
Spoken like a true hero.
Read more at Dateline NBC.