Ari Weichbrod stared down death multiple times with a combination of grit, determination and belief before his passing on April 10 after succumbing to COVID-19.

Always willing to help others in need, Weichbrod volunteered with Hatzalah in Miami before moving to Lakewood, N.J., in 2013, when he transferred to the local division of the community emergency-response corps.

In January of that year, he attracted multiple headlines and was nationally lauded after he saved the lives of two children trapped under a car, doing an extraction in under a minute with superhuman strength and fighting to resuscitate the nonresponsive children. Weichbrod was honored at a Lakewood Township Committee meeting for his heroism.

Six years ago, Weichbrod was celebrating his wife’s birthday when he suddenly collapsed and suffered cardiac arrest. He miraculously pulled through with complete brain function after more than an hour of CPR and two weeks in a coma, though subsequently spent the rest of his life battling a series of health concerns.

Despite his hardships, he remained committed to others’ needs before his own, going on calls with the neighborhood Chaveirim volunteer roadside-assistance group up to a week before he was exposed to the coronavirus and his body gave out after giving all it could.

Weichbrod is survived by his wife, Roize, and their five children, as well as his father, Avrohom Weichbrod, and five siblings.

He will be remembered by all those he helped over the years.

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