Charles Ramsey, the man who helped rescue the three kidnapped victims held captive by Ariel Castro for a decade, has been granted free burgers for life by over a dozen restaurants in the Cleveland area.
Ramsey has become somewhat of a national hero after his infamous interview with reporters on how he had to put down his McDonald's burger when he heard Amanda Berry's desperate cries for help. He quickly went to the house that the screams were coming from and helped free Berry, who ran over to a neighbor's to report that she had been kidnapped.
Hodges restaurant, where Ramsey works as a dishwasher, has created a burger in honor of him called the Ramsey Burger, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Ramsey Burger is an 8-ounch burger of Certified Angus Beef, according to chef/co-owner Chris Hodgson, and has become a permanent burger on the menu.
Other local restaurants decided Ramsey needed a bigger tribute and decided to honor him with free food.
Ramsey will formally be presented with a "Chuck Card" granting him a free burger to any participating restaurant when he returns from travelling.
In an interview with reporters which has since gone viral, Ramsey said: "I heard screaming. I'm eating my McDonald's, I come outside, I see this girl going nuts trying to get out of her house. So I go on the porch, I go on the porch and she says 'help me get out, I been in here a long time'. So you know, I figured this is a domestic violence dispute, so I opened the door, but we can't get in that way because how the door is, it's so much that a body can't fit through, only your hand. So we kicked the bottom and she comes out with a little girl, and she says 'call 911. My name is Amanda Berry."
Ramsey continued: "About five minutes after the police got here. See, that girl Amanda told the police 'I ain't just the only one, it's some more girls up in that house.' So they going' up there, you know, 30 or 40 deep, and when they came out it was just astonishing, cause I thought they would come up with nothing. I figured, I mean, whoever she was, like I say, my neighbor, you got some big testicles to pull this off dude, cause we see this guy every day I mean every day."
He said, "Not a clue that that girl was in that house, or anybody was in there against their will, because how he is, is he just comes out to his backyard, he plays with the dogs, tinkers with his cars and motorcycles, goes back in the house. So he's somebody that you look and you look away because he's not doing nothing but the average stuff, you see what I'm saying? Ain't nothing exciting about him. Well, until today."
Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michele Knight and Berry's six-year-old daughter Jocelyn were rescued on May 6 after about 10 years in captivity in Castro's house.
The three victims all went missing in separate incidents between 2002 and 2004 in Cleveland. They have since received medical treatment and have been reunited with their families.
Watch a video of Ramsey's interview after the dramatic rescue on May 6 below:
