Portage Firefighter and Son Survive Devastating Crash

Jacob Mahoney knows what it means to save lives. But on February 24, the Portage firefighter became the one who needed saving.

Mahoney was running errands with his four-year-old son Luca when a teenager in a stolen car crashed into their SUV at full speed. The impact sent their vehicle spinning through the air.

"Out of nowhere I was hit," Mahoney said. "I remember some sort of spinning. Like being thrown into the air a little bit. My brain was like...what is happening? There was just huge confusion in those initial seconds."

When the world stopped moving, Mahoney's training kicked in. His son had been knocked unconscious in his car seat. The firefighter had no idea what hit him, only that he needed to get Luca to safety.

"You know, you think the worst," Mahoney said.

Paramedics arrived within seconds. The first words out of Mahoney's mouth: save my son. His fellow first responders worked fast, extracting Luca from the wreckage so quickly that time seemed to blur.

"Some time went by and a second officer came to me and I said 'save my son' and he said, he's already out," Mahoney recalled. "So it must have been like so quick in my mind. They got him so quick. Which I'm so thankful for."

Both father and son were rushed to Bronson Hospital. The crash could have ended in tragedy, but instead became a testament to the speed and skill of emergency responders.

Sunny's Take

There's something powerful about watching a hero become vulnerable. Mahoney spends his days running toward danger to help strangers. On his day off, strangers ran toward danger to help him and his son. That circle of care is what makes communities strong.

Today, Mahoney is sharing his recovery story publicly, showing others that even those who save lives sometimes need saving themselves.