Job offer, praise for hero
- by Zen Ruryk, taken from 'Toronto Sun', no date

Subway savior of boy knew suspect years agoIn an eerie twist, hero victor crowl says the man he tangled with on the subway iin order to save terrified five-year-old boy was in his church group a decade ago.
And while Crowl, 30, made the revelation yesterday, Toronto mayor-elect Mel Lastman said he'll help the laid-off municipal worker get a job.
"It turns out I know the guy (police arrested). That's the strangest thing about the whole thing," Crowl said during an interview at his Adelaide st. w. apartment. "The guy went to my church. He was in my church group." Crowl walked onto a subway train at St. Clair W. Thursday and rushed to help when he saw a man dangling a five5-year-old over the tracks. The child's six-year-old brother looked on.
Crowl, who was a Sunshine Boy last April, pulled the child into the car and he and another passenger wrestled the man into submission.
He said that as police took the man away, the suspect said: "hey Victor, how's it going?"
Victor said the boys' father was "very grateful. He said thank you" when he picked his kids up from the police station. "He said to his boys, 'look, this is the man who saved your life,'" Crowl said.
Crowl, as singer who hopes to make it big in the music business, lost his $17.40 per hour parks and maintenance job with the city of Toronto shortly before the dramatic rush hour rescue.
Buoyed by the offer of help from Lastman, Crowl accepted an invitation to meet the mayor-elect and Liberal MMP Michael Colle today at a North York restaurant.
Lastman said he's going to find out what Crowl wants to do and "try and do everything I can everything I can for him. I never step in and help people get jobs," he added. "But this is an exceptional young man and these are exceptional circumstances." Lynn Hilborn, the TTC's deputy general manager, added "the transit commission has invited Crowl to attend an interview.
"We have budget approval to increase service so we have job opportunities," said Hilborn. "We want to review that with him and what his skills are and see if he has an interest." The TTC will present Crowl with a bravery citation at a Dec. 16 commission meeting.
Colle, a former chairman of the TTC, said he contacted Lastman on Crowl's behalf.
"It's certainly ironic he should be out of a job at this point and time. These are the type of people you need working for the city," said Colle.
Crowl said he was "beside myself" after learning about his high-level benefactors. "I can't believe the outpouring of support and well wishers."
Crowl, who had put out two CD's of "eclectic pop," said it's ironic he just this week finished a music video for a song called Save Me, which is about stopping violence.
Crowl, who grew up in the Jane Street - Finch Ave. W. area, plans to submit the video to MuchMusic on Monday.
He recalled receiving a police community service award for breaking up a gang fight at age 13.