PHOENIX — An illegal entrant who gave up his long walk into the U.S. to help a boy whose mother was killed in a van crash in the desert said Wednesday that he never thought of leaving the child.
"I am a father of four children. For that, I stayed," Manuel de Jesus Córdova Soberanes said in Spanish from his home in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora. "I never could have left him. Never."
Authorities said Cordova may have saved the life of 9-year-old Christopher Buchleitner, whose mother was killed when their van ran off a cliff in a remote area north of the Mexico-Arizona border on Thanksgiving Day.
Accosted by the media in the past few days, Córdova has become a bit of a hometown celebrity. Contacted Wednesday, Córdova asked about the whereabouts of the boy. "I'd like to know how he is, how he feels," Córdova said.
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Despite the fact that his name is all over the media and he is the talk of the town, Córdova, a bricklayer, said he remains grounded.
"I feel like a regular person," Córdova said. "I imagine that I think like most other people. Being in that situation, any other person would have done the same."
Córdova, 26, completed only elementary school and has worked since he was 12 years old as a bricklayer, just like his father. Married with four children, Córdova said he thought about his children when he decided to stay with the boy and wait for someone to help them.
It was the second time Córdova had crossed illegally into the United States. The first time, he crossed as part of a group, but on this occasion he traveled alone and was headed toward Tucson.
A spokeswoman for the Mexican Consulate in Nogales said the office is working to obtain a short-term visa for Córdova so he can come to Arizona and be recognized for his actions.
Córdova was two days into his walk and about 50 miles from Tucson when he saw the boy, who had walked away from the crash.
In a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Magdalena de Kino, Córdova said Christopher had scrapes on his leg and was dressed in shorts despite the desert cold.
The boy had his dog with him and was holding a side mirror from the wrecked van.
Neither Córdova nor Christopher spoke the other's language, but the boy took the migrant to the edge of a canyon and showed him the accident site.
Authorities said Christopher and his mother, 45-year-old Dawn Alice Tomko, had been in the area camping. Tomko was driving on a U.S. Forest Service road when she lost control of the van, which landed 300 feet from the road.
By the looks of the mangled van down below, Córdova said, it was obvious that the boy's mother had died. The child was distraught but didn't cry.
"I felt frustrated and sad, because I couldn't do anything for the mother," Córdova said. "And I didn't know how to console the boy, so I just sat next to him."
Córdova gave the boy the sweater he was wearing, climbed down to the van, and found chocolate and cookies to feed him.
He then built a bonfire, and the two hunkered down. The boy slept most of the night; Córdova kept watch and tended the fire.
Fourteen hours later, a group of hunters found the pair and called for help. U.S. Border Patrol agents took Córdova into custody, and Christopher was flown to a hospital in Tucson.
Christopher was reunited with family members over the weekend; a message left with his uncle was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said Córdova is "very, very special and compassionate" and may have saved the boy's life.
Adriana Hoyos Rodríguez, the mayor of Magdalena de Kino, called Córdova a hero. "He left everything to save that boy," she said.
She said the city now has another celebrity, along with Luis Donaldo Colosio, who was assassinated in his run for the Mexican presidency, and Father Eusebio Kino, known for establishing missions in the region about 300 years ago.
"I feel very flattered," Córdova said about the proclamation. "But I would have liked it better to have been Father Kino," he joked.
Córdova said he wanted to come to the United States to earn money to feed his four children, who live with their mother, and help support his girlfriend's three children. "I have two families — many mouths to feed," he said.
He said that even though his trip was thwarted, he's glad to be back home and wishes Christopher the best. "I hope he has a good life," he said.
