Ten people were honored by police for their courage. They saved lives and showed moral courage. Maximilian Seng from Bruchköbel, for example, pulled a man out of a burning house.

Bruchköbel – The South East Hesse Police Headquarters honored ten people who did not look away in critical situations in recent times, but rather intervened courageously. This celebratory commendation event took place at the police headquarters at Spessartring in Offenbach.

“The event was characterized by great appreciation and was a moving, sometimes emotional moment for many of those present. In personal conversations and descriptions of the events, it became clear how much courage, determination and humanity lay behind the individual actions,” reported police spokesman Christopher Leidner.

Man rescued from fire in Main-Kinzig district: police honor joggers

Maximilian Seng from Bruchköbel in the Main-Kinzig district was one of those honored. On January 9, 2026, he saved the life of a resident when a residential building on Kinzigheimer Weg in Bruchköbel caught fire. The fire caused damage worth 300,000 euros. But it could have been worse.

Maximilian Seng, who happened to be jogging past, noticed the flames and acted immediately. He entered the burning building, rescued the resident and alerted the neighbors. “Mr Seng helped load us into the ambulance and then modestly went home because he didn’t want to be in anyone’s way,” said Leidner.

“The honorees represent many citizens in southeast Hesse who show moral courage and actively promote safety and humanity,” said the police spokesman. With the commendation event, the police headquarters in Southeast Hesse would like to “promote a society of observation and action”.

“You are the focus today. It is impressive and inspiring how you go beyond yourself in critical moments and protect the lives of others with courage and determination or contribute to the security of our society,” emphasized department director Marco Weller, head of the operations department.

Further cases of civil courage in the Main-Kinzig district

“You looked and acted. In doing so, you provided our society with a valuable service. Civil courage makes our society more humane.” As a sign of thanks, the department head presented each of the honorees with a high-quality medal and a certificate.

Joshua Borton and Patrick Reichel from Hanau were also honored. On October 16, 2025, they saved the life of a young woman who had jumped from a bridge onto the train tracks in an emotional state of emergency. The two men recognized the danger and pulled the seriously injured woman off the tracks as a freight train approached.

“Through their decisive and selfless intervention, the two men presumably saved a human life,” the police said. 13-year-old Fabian from Nidderau was also honored for his moral courage. He made it possible to arrest a man who had spoken to two girls in a suspicious manner.

The teenager informed the police and followed the man at a safe distance until the emergency services arrested him. As a token of gratitude, those honored received medals and certificates. “You looked and acted. In doing so, you provided our society with a valuable service. Civil courage makes our society more humane.”

Many of those honored are humble

Other honorees exposed a fake police officer (Offenbach), protected a woman from a thug (Offenbach), saved a young woman from a bridge (Rodgau), drove away a perpetrator after an attack on an eleven-year-old (Dietzenbach) and prevented money from being handed over after a shocking phone call (Neu-Isenburg).

Many of those honored, including Maximilian Seng, emphasized that their actions were natural to them and that they would do so again at any time. Last Meanwhile, the East Hesse police also honored twelve everyday heroes for their civil courage. Their actions also saved lives