Homeless Man Who Helped Kids In Manchester Terror Attack Has Rent Paid For Six Months

After the tragedy of the Manchester terrorist attacks, stories of true heroism have began to emerge.

Homeless man Stephen Jones has revealed how he pulled nails out of a little girl’s face after terrorist Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured 119.

Abedi detonated a nail bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.

Now a football club in England have vowed to pay Stephen’s rent for six months to thank him for helping victims.

Stephen, who had been sleeping near Manchester Arena, recalled watching in horror as children covered in blood began pouring out of the venue.

Now West Ham’s co-chairman David Sullivan and his son Dave Jnr have revealed they are helping the 35-year-old former drug addict for his selfless actions.

Working with a charity called Manchester’s Booth Centre, a day centre which helps the city’s homeless, they have vowed to get Stephen off the streets and into work.

Stephen has been homeless for over a year and used to work as a bricklayer.

He spoke to Britain’s ITV News about Monday evening’s horrific events.

‘We were having to pull nails and bits of glass out of their [children’s] arms and faces,’ he told ITV News. ‘I haven’t slept most of the night because of what I’ve seen.’ 

‘I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I’d just walked away. Just because I’m homeless, it doesn’t mean I haven’t got a heart.’

‘There’s a lot of good people in Manchester who help us out and we need to give back too.’

‘I’d like to think someone would come and help me if I needed the help.’ 

When he heard the blast, at first Stephen, like many, ran away.

But he selflessly raced back towards the blast after the initial shock.

He describes holding a young girl who had lost both of her legs while he waited for paramedics to arrive. 

‘It knocked me to the floor and then I got up and instead of running away my gut instinct was to run back and try and help,’ he said.

‘There was people lying on the floor everywhere. I saw a little girl – she had no legs. I wrapped her in one of the merchandise T-shirts and I said ‘where is your mum and daddy?’

‘She said ‘my dad is at work, my mum is up there.’

Stephen thinks the child’s mother died from her injuries following the incident. 

The Manchester Evening News has set up a Just Giving page to raise cash for victims’ families and those injured in the terror attack.

In less than two hours, more than £20,000 was donated by around 1,300 people. 

The figure then reached a staggering £740,000 – after just 12 hours.

A fundraiser set up to help Stephen get back on his feet had raised over £25,000 as of midnight on Tuesday.

Thousands of supporters have commended him on his bravery. 

Another homeless man, Chris Parker, was begging in the stadium foyer when he heard the explosion.

He also described in graphic detail cradling a young girl who had been separated from her parents and had lost both her legs in the blast.

A crowdfunding page has been set up for Chris also, which has raised over £21,000 as of midnight on Tuesday.

Meanwhile Stephen has now told MailOnline: ‘People are saying I’m a hero, but I’m not – I’m just a person’

‘There were people in suits who are meant to be the pillars of society who were walking over dead children.’

‘Us homeless guys, we get slagged off all the time over this, that and the other.  But we were the first ones in there to help.’