Stranded traveling football player gets help from total strangers

HAPEVILLE, Ga. - Colorado State University football player Luis Lebron ended up being one of the thousands of people who were suddenly stranded in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International when the power went out. 

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After he says he walked a few miles looking for a place to go, he spotted FOX 5's Doug Evans who was reporting on Virginia Avenue in Hapeville near the airport. 

"I came in early, at around 11 o’clock, was waiting for my flight, and then the lights went off.
Then we thought they would be off for about an hour. Then an hour turned into four, five, six, seven," Lebron told Evans, "Until finally, I started getting directions on leaving the building. Then we got directions to go back into the building.”

FULL STORY: Power restored at Atlanta airport

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Luis said he was just trying to get home to his mom and dad in Jacksonville, Florida. 

“I’ve been to seven different hotels, they’re all booked. It’s cold out here, and I’m trying to find a place to be wrong, I haven’t eaten since 4 in the morning," said Lebron. 

After the story aired, several people drove to our live location off Virginia Avenue in Hapeville, asking to help the young man. Doug Evans said in decades of reporting, he’s never seen such a positive response by viewers to a story, wanting to help a young man like this.

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Shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, this story got its good ending. Lebron's mother arranged for an Uber driver to pick him up, and get him to a hotel. His mother and brother were en route from Jacksonville and will pick him up early Monday.

When we told him how many people reacted to his story, he said “I’m truly touched by the generosity of your viewers. God Bless all of them and Merry Christmas."