Hamilton teen meets man he saved from burning tent in Bayfront Park

A man pulled from a burning tent in Bayfront Park in Hamilton has met the teenager who saved him in early December.

17-year-old Zeke Fox was driving home from a friend’s house in the late evening hours of Dec. 5 when he saw a fire and stopped to investigate.

The Cathedral High School student says he heard a man scream for help and knew he had to act.

He quickly called his dad and told him to call 911.

Realizing that he couldn’t wait Fox pulled the man from the tent and rolled him in snow.

Hamilton police have deemed the fire not suspicious.

Even though the authorities don’t recommend what the teen did, officers were amazed by his courage.

Hospital Reunion

A Hamilton neighbourhood Facebook group re-posted a post from Fox’s mother on Jan. 12 that her son met the man he rescued. His name is Shawn.

Shawn wanted to meet the boy who saved him and reached out to Christine Fox on social media.

Zeke Fox and Shawn chatted for over an hour in what the mother called an emotional reunion. She said that she is “incredibly proud” of her son and that Shawn has a “very long road to recovery.”

Fox was treated at McMaster Hospital after the rescue for smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, a minor concussion and scrapes and bruises.

Shawn was admitted to hospital in critical condition and is now in stable condition. He is currently recovering from burns and smoke exposure.

Zeke and his parents have started a GoFundMe page for Shawn called “Shawn’s road to recovery“. He posted on the GoFundMe page that the homeless man originally from Cornwall is an “amazing man who has fallen under hard times.”

“I’m asking everyone, all my family and friends, reaching out to the community and asking for help. If everybody could dig deep and just give a little, I truly feel it could go a long way,” Fox wrote.

The teenager says he wants to be a police officer after going to college.

On Jan. 17 Fox was honoured by the City of Hamilton and Chief Bergen of the Hamilton police at his high school. Principal Kevin Monaco, staff and students were also present.

Mayor Andrea Horwath posted on X:

#HamOnt On behalf of the @cityofhamilton it was my absolute pleasure to honour Zeke Fox this morning, alongside @HamiltonPolice Chief Bergen and @HWCDSB Principal Kevin Monaco, and staff and students at Cathedral High School.

Through Zeke’s actions, he showed he is not just… pic.twitter.com/f1vxQCPub5

— Andrea Horwath (@AndreaHorwath) January 17, 2025

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