Durban - “My dad has always been my hero and him chasing down hijackers has just proved it.” These were the emotional words of Gareth Berry after his father collapsed and died after he had helped catch two alleged hijackers in Montclair.
Greg Berry, 59, died of a suspected heart attack minutes after he had chased down the two knife-wielding men who tried to hijack a woman in Kenyon Howden Drive on Wednesday morning.
The Yellowwood Park man was hailed a hero and Good Samaritan for his courage as condolences flooded community crime watch social media networks.
“It was just in his nature to do something like that,” Gareth said. “Not many people would have done what he did. It shows the type of courage he had.”
Gareth said they had received many messages of condolence.
“My dad was well known and liked in the community because he was always energetic and fun to be around.”
Gareth said his father, a self-employed mechanic, had never experienced any heart problems and was generally fit.
“With all that adrenalin pumping through him, I don’t think his heart could cope. He was not a young man any more and that may have contributed to it,” he said.
The incident occurred after a woman medical rep had arrived at the Montclair pharmacy and was pounced on by two men.
Berry, with the help of others who saw the attack, ran to the woman’s aid and pursued the men.
“I heard a scream and, when we went to look, we saw two men grappling with a lady in the middle of the street,” estate agent, Koos Bezuidenhout, said.
“They wanted her keys and she was fighting back. My colleague (Zunaid Sathar) and I rushed out to help her. As we ran to assist, the gentleman (Berry) was also chasing them.”
The hijackers split and headed in different directions with their pursuers hot on their heels.
One of the men was caught by private security guards while his accomplice was tackled by citizens at a garage.
An employee at the pharmacy said when Berry arrived back after the chase, he told them he was able to bring down one of the hijackers.
“A short while later, he held his chest and fell over,” she said.
Pharmacy staff thought he was having an epileptic fit and pushed him on his side.
A doctor rushed to the pharmacy to help, but by the time he arrived, Berry had died.
“It is really tragic,” Sathar said.
“They tried their best to help him and it was really sad to see him die. He was a Good Samaritan.”
Sandra Cox, a friend of Berry’s family, described him as a kind and gentle person who would have gone out of his way to help someone in need.
“What happened was typical of Greg. He was always on hand to lend a helping hand to anyone,” she said.
“He was liked and loved in the community and his death is a loss.”
Police arrested the alleged hijackers who are expected to appear in court soon.
Daily News