Toronto lawyer Jason Kroft’s family seeks NYC Samaritan who saved his life

Jason Kroft, 40, was visiting family in New York City during the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend when he went into cardiac arrest.

The Toronto lawyer was walking with his wife, Marci, and their children, Harper and Sloan, at West 45th St. and 6th Ave. around 3:30 p.m. on October 5 when he fell to his knees, lost consciousness and started turning blue.

Kroft's brother, Ryan, called 911. An ambulance wouldn't be there for another 10 minutes.

"Somewhere in the middle of all this mayhem, a man stopped and dropped to the ground and put something behind his head and started doing CPR," Ryan Kroft told the Toronto Star.

"The man was pumping Jason's chest as hard as he could," Marci Kroft told the New York Post. "We were completely in shock. We just didn't know if he was alive or not."

The fast-acting red-haired good Samaritan saved Kroft's life, then vanished into the crowd.

"Marci was on the ground holding Jason's hand and I was trying to comfort the children, so we never got a good look at the guy. Then, we all ran with the stretcher as they loaded Jason into the ambulance," Ryan Kroft told ABC News Radio.

"They said that if the CPR wasn't administered immediately, Jason either would have had severe brain damage or worse," Kroft's brother-in-law, Adam Zeller, said, adding, "Not only did he save a man but he really saved a family."

Doctors discovered that Kroft had two heart aneurysms. Still in a New York hospital, Kroft has since had triple bypass surgery. Despite his case being complicated — Kroft received a kidney transplant 12 years ago — his family expects he'll make a full recovery.

"He is weak, but he's the same old Jason. He has a long road to recovery, but he'll be okay," Zeller told Shine.

Following the incident, Zeller put up posters in the area, hoping to identify the mystery man so the family can adequately thank him.

See a poster here.

"To our family, you are a hero," Ryan Kroft wants the stranger to know.

"We would definitely like to find the guy and thank him, but if he doesn't want to be identified, we don't want to force him. I hope all the media around this reaches him and he knows how much we appreciate him," he said.

Kroft's family adds that other strangers came to his aid as well, offering comfort, sips of water and showing concern.