A man who was rescued as a child during the Hillsborough disaster has been reunited with the stranger who saved his life, 27 years later.
Joe Smith was just eight years old when he was pulled to safety by an unknown man at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. After seeing the man in a documentary about the tragedy, Joe launched a Facebook appeal to find him.
The search proved successful, and Joe was able to track down John, the man who rescued him. The pair have now met up, with Joe telling BBC Radio 5 live: “It’s been madness, we’ve been able to sit down and have a few drinks and to catch up after such a long time. We had a good talk about what went on.”
John said the response to the appeal was overwhelming, adding: “It went crazy, it got to a point where I thought I need to contact Joe myself. I contacted him and said the person you’re looking for is me.”
