The man who helped a woman during a hijacking was Woodhaven resident, Gregory Berry.
At about 9am, Courtney Fennell, a pharmaceutical sales rep was at the Montclair Pharmacy in Kenyon Howden Road. When she returned to her car, three men approached her. “One of the men with a knife tried to get my keys,” said Fennell. She said it didn’t look like the man wanted to stab her. “I started to scream and the man bit me on my wrist,” said Fennell. When she tried to pull away from the hijacker she fell on the floor.
“The men got a fright when people came out from the pharmacy,” said Fennell. 59-year-old Gregory Berry, a Woodhaven resident for the past 15 years was at Montclair Pharmacy buying medicine gave chase. Berry managed to catch one of the hijackers and put him in his car. “Gregory came into the pharmacy to see I was okay and told me he caught one of the hijackers,” said Fennell.
When Fennell left the pharmacy a short while later, she saw Berry on the floor. Berry’s son Gareth said doctors pronounced his father dead on the scene from a heart attack. “Given my father’s age his heart couldn’t take the adrenalin,” said Gareth.
Gareth described his father as someone well respected by people for his straight forward nature. “He was a fun and outgoing person. He loved to laugh and joke with people,” said Gareth. He said it was in his father’s nature to help people. “My father always said if he had to pass on, he was going to do it by helping someone. He was that kind of person,” said Gareth.
Two of the hijackers were arrested by Montclair SAP. They were not successful in hijacking Fennell’s black Kia Rio. “Police are happy there are people out there willing to help victims of crime. Our condolences to the Berry family,” said communications officer Lt Jojozi.
Fennell escaped the attempted hijacking with a few cuts. “Gregory was definitely a hero. He had no reason to help but because of Gregory the perpetrators were caught. They could’ve escaped. He is a hero,” said Fennell.
