Natalie Matarazzo, a junior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is searching for the stranger who rescued her during the shooting that occurred Dec. 6, KTNV Las Vegas reported.
The shooting, which was allegedly carried out by 67-year-old Tony Polito, resulted in the deaths of three faculty members and the injury of one other individual, per NPR. Polito allegedly opened fire on the campus and was reportedly killed in a shootout with law enforcement shortly after.
Matarazzo was in front of Beam Hall at the beginning of the shooting, KTNV reported.
“I was terrified. I wanted to freeze. I had no idea what was going on. I was frozen for quite some time in this spot”, Matarazzo stated in the KTNV report. When Matarazzo was struggling to evacuate, she said a stranger came up to her and offered aid, rescuing her from the danger.
A car accident in 2020 reportedly paralyzed Matarazzo from the waist down, making escape from the shooting incident all but physically impossible for her.
“I can’t run, I can’t hide, and I cannot fight. So that was really scary because I didn’t know what was going on” she said, per the outlet.
“I turned around just to see what was going on behind me for a quick second. This girl came up, and she said, ‘Do you want me to push you?’ I said, ‘Yes, please. I have no idea what is going on. I just need to get out of here as soon as possible,'” Matarazzo recounted. The report also stated the stranger pushed her for almost a mile to her apartment building.
Matarazzo is searching for the mystery woman who pushed her to safety to reunite with and thank her in person, per the KTNV news video. (RELATED: ‘Multiple Victims’ Reported After Shooting On UNLV Campus)
Editor’s Note: This article was updated with a working copy of the KTNV news video.