Westhill High School security guard Keith Rosedom, who recently stopped a car from rolling over a visitor, poses at the school in Stamford, Conn., on Friday June 11, 2021. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD — Keith Rosedom was sitting in his car in the Westhill High School back parking lot monitoring a pair of athletic games when he sprang into action.

The 31-year-old security worker at the district’s biggest school noticed something curious out of the corner of his eye: a car moving in reverse and a man standing next to it trying to stop the vehicle.

The man, who Rosedom said was likely in his 40s, grabbed the steering wheel, and in the process, his legs got stuck under the driver’s side door. In a split second, Rosedom thought about driving his car behind the other vehicle in order to stop the vehicle’s progress, but he quickly decided against it, instead running out and trying to stop the car himself.

“When I finally realized what was going on, I jumped out of the car,” Rosedom said.

He went to the same side of the car the man was on and tried his best to push against the momentum of the vehicle, in order to stop it. A nearby student got behind the car as well, and eventually, the pair were able to bring the vehicle to a halt.

The incident took place about a month ago, and Rosedom was recently singled out of for his “heroic action” at a Stamford Board of Education meeting. Since the incident, Rosedom said he has received praise from people in the community for his quick thinking and action.

“Keith Rosedom has been a wonderful addition to our security staff,” said Michael Rinaldi, principal of Westhill. “He’s also a very modest, unassuming young man. Just what you want in a hero

The man who was stuck under the car “was in shock,” Rosedom said, and had a few minor scrapes on his legs. If not for Rosedom’s help, the car would have likely rolled into a line of parked cars. And the incident could have been a lot more serious if the man had lost his grip on the steering wheel.

“Keith was on top of this and stopped something more severe from happening,” said Olympia Della Flora, associate superintendent for school development, who also oversees school security. “He was in the right place at the right time.”

The man thanked Rosedom and then went on a walk around the track.

School staff were unable to identify or locate the man, but Rosedom said he believes he is someone who lives in the neighborhood. Efforts were made by administrators to find the student, including a message over the intercom, but no one stepped forward.

Rosedom, who is originally from Stamford and now resides in Bridgeport, has had a varied career in Stamford Public Schools. The Westhill alum was first hired as a para-educator in 2009 at Cloonan Middle School. In 2016, he became a security worker at Dolan Middle School.

Last year, he was one of the 12 security workers who had their position slashed as part of a massive cut of 136 positions across the district, due to COVID-19-related budget reductions.

Rosedom was able to remain a Stamford Public Schools employee, however, as he transitioned back to a para-educator position at Scofield Middle School.

Then, when the security worker positions were re-instated in April, Rosedom returned to his previous job, this time at Westhill.

Rosedom’s mother is also a security worker for the district.

When she found out about her son’s heroics, her reaction was that of a proud mother.

“That’s my son,” she said, Keith Rosedom recalled. “Good job.”