Hyatt Regency Resort Hero

Clearwater Beach, FL - My husband and I were vacationing this weekend at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa for some relaxating times. He and I arrived early Saturday morning and checked in. All was going well. It was a chilly on the beach this past Sunday, so we decided to go back to the Hotel and go to the Spa on the 17th floor.

We were there for about an hour talking to another couple from Orlando who was celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary. At around 3 p.m., all of us saw a man stumbling and the woman who was with him seemed upset too. They argued for awhile then woman left him alone she says to get her phone. After she left, the man walked over the fence ledge and seemed ready to jump off. He was looking at the pool deck nine stories below.

That was when Luis Antonio Villar Suarez got up to talk to the man. The man was obviously hispanic. So Luis "Tony" Villar, a native of Puerto Rico, got up to talk to him in Spanish.

"You don't want to do this, amigo," said Villar. "It is not your life to take. It is up to God. Now come back over to this side so we can help you."

The man listened and came back over to safety. He cried on Tony's chest. He seemed to calm down and then the seizures started. The man fell to the ground and started kicking very hard. We quickly put the patio furniture under him to stop him from banging his head on the brick spa deck. Tony and the other guest restrained him and the man went unconscious. Myself and Brittany had already called hotel Security. Security came and dialed 911 for an ambulance. While waiting for the paramedics, the man suddenly jumped up and tried to jump for real this time. His body was truly hanging over the concrete fence when Tony and the other guest ran to grab the man by his knees and ankles. They both physically pulled him over back to safety again. This time, the man was pinned down when the paramedics arrived.

It took six paramedics 20 to 30 minutes to get the man into the stretcher and restrain him. He was still yelling when they took him from the 17th floor to the nearest hospital.

After woods, several guests who witnessed what happened all agreed. "It was no coincidence that Tony was there," said Brittany. "You were meant to save that man's life," she told Mr. Villar. Tony did request a video copy of the rescue the following day. The grateful hotel staff said they would try to accommodate the request but couldn't promise they could release the footage for security and legal reasons.

Tony used to work in the healthcare field transporting senior citizens and disabled patients back and forth to their appointments. To him, this is what he is meant to do. "I'm very proud that I was able to help that man. I hope he will get treatment for his medical conditions." Me, on the other hand, I think its going to be awhile before I can even think of traveling for awhile.

The Director at the Hyatt Regency came to the 17th floor to thank Tony especially and the other guests who helped.

"We did it for the man's own safety and the security of other guests," Brittany's husband laughed a little. "Do you know how much time it takes to go through an investigation if he would have succeeded in jumping?"

All I know, is I'm not planning another vacation for a very long while. Sometimes, it takes a superwoman to live with a real life hero. I'm just taking a moment to share this story with the community. And to acknowledge a very special person for an amazing instance of courage and heroism. Gracias, mi amor. Te amo.