SEPTA bus driver who stopped carjacking honored at City Hall

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The SEPTA bus driver who stopped a carjacking last month was honored by Philadelphia City Council on Thursday.

Like many humble heroes, Chris DeShields says he was simply doing his job.

DeShields was driving his Route 5 SEPTA bus in Fishtown last month, when he saw three men carjacking a woman.

He used his bus to block the would-be robbers and they ran off.

On Thursday, Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson honored his quick thinking and bravery.

"It's just a lot of attention that I really didn't think I would get," DeShields says. "I'm really humbled and happy. It feels good to do good."

DeShields has been working for SEPTA for the past 18 years.

He says that after he stopped the attempted carjacking, he helped the woman and then went right back to driving his route.

The woman, he says, is beyond grateful for his potentially life-saving actions.

"I actually ran into her a week later," he says. "She got on the bus and gave me a hug and thanked me. It felt good."

Chris' father, Sherman, is a retired bus driver.

He drove for SEPTA for 40 years.

"He's my son and he's always there," Sherman says. "He's a protector. We're proud of him."

The Feltonville native was also a guest at President Biden's State of the Union speech earlier this month.