An 8-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after helping to calm a disruptive passenger down and preventing a plane from being diverted mid-flight.
On Friday, May 1, Phoenix was returning home to Salford, England from Turkey when a woman began shouting during a Jet2 flight, according to the BBC, Manchester Evening News and the Metro.
While the plane was set to take off at around 8:00 p.m. local time, it was delayed for an hour after waiting for several passengers to board, per Metro.
Then, 30 minutes after takeoff, the woman “was caught drinking her own alcohol,” with a witness telling Metro that “she then just erupted, calling them names, being violent towards them.”
Phoenix’s father, James Rose, then requested to help, resulting in her sitting in between himself and his son. After his dad engaged in a conversation with the woman, Phoenix took matters into his own hands by singing to the woman and showing her his football cards, per the BBC.
“The way he handled the situation, he calmed her down,” Rose told the Manchester Evening News. “He was absolutely fantastic, he took over. He was saying to her, ‘Don’t shout, don’t swear… what do your kids do?’ Every time she tried to go off he would tap her and say, ‘Come on, talk to me’. It was just magnificent to see.”
“I’m not the hero… it was me lad,” Rose added.
Thanks to Phoenix’s actions, the woman calmed down for the rest of the flight, resulting in him and his father receiving a special thanks and a handshake from the pilot who didn’t have to divert the plane, the BBC reported.
While Jet2 revealed they would be gifting the father and son with goodies and free flights, Phoenix also received an abundance of presents from people all over the world, per the BBC.
Strangers across the U.K., Germany and the Netherlands have been showering the child with gifts, according to the outlet. “It’s been magnificent,” Rose told the BBC despite being unaware of how the donors found their address. “The deliveries started rocking up at the house with thank you cards and even a PlayStation 5.”
Rose said that the gifts made it feel like Christmas Day for his son, adding that he “can’t thank everybody enough.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, a Jet2 spokesperson said, “The vast majority of customers have a brilliant experience when they fly with us, however our highly-trained crew are always there to look after everyone, as well as provide our friendly in-flight service.”
“We have heard about how James and Phoenix reassured a fellow customer and we would like to congratulate and thank them for their kindness and care. We are arranging for a goodie pack to be sent to them, alongside a voucher for a pair of free flights, in recognition of what they did,” they added.