While you feel that anything is wrong, it may be difficult to confront strangers in public and much more difficult to do so when you are still a teenager. In spite of this, a young man of 17 years old in Boston, Massachusetts, saw that he could not just stand by and observe while a little girl was exposed to the possibility of severe harm.

Cameron Cook was out shopping with his mother in November of 2016 at a Target located in the South Bay Plaza when he came across a guy who seemed unusually focused with a little girl who was wheeling a shopping cart on her own.

As he thought the guy was standing too near, he called his mother’s attention to him.  According to Cameron, the guy had a “demonic expression” on his face, and according to his mother, he smelled strongly of alcohol.

The adult quickly pressed himself on the girl, which caused the young woman to flinch, and Cameron, seeing this, immediately intervened to protect the girl.

“After that, I approached him and said, ‘Excuse me, sir, do you know her?’ Then, the first thing he said was, “I’m not a bag guy’ I was like, I didn’t ask you that sir.” Cameron was motivated to investigate more as a result of the suspicious behavior of the other guy.

According to statements made by Cameron, he then advised that the guy, who seemed to be in his 50s, leave the shop. Cameron’s doggedness paid off, as the customer eventually got up and stormed out of the business, yelling obscenities as he left.

Heather praised her son, saying to the same publication that despite the fact that the unknown person “was large,” Cameron showed “no fear at all.” He just refused to back down from his belief that the actions this other person was doing were unethical.

She went on to say that while she is pleased of her son’s behavior, it is “completely in keeping with his nature.”

After some time had passed, it was discovered that the mother of the kid had been using the restroom at the time of the occurrence. The video from the business’s surveillance cameras revealed that the guy had boarded a car that was waiting just outside the store.

After the incident, the Boston police department released a statement reminding parents to keep a close check on their young children whenever they are in a public setting.

Not only was Cameron honored for his bravery by the city council in his community a month after the incident, but the Boston Celtics also paid respect to the young man by honoring him as a recipient of their Heroes Among Us award.

Cameron, on the other hand, has said that his main hope is that others would be motivated by their actions. “It’s not even about bravery, it’s just being a person, a human — anybody can stand up and do something like that,” he said. “It’s just being a human.”