12-Year-Old Hero Talks To Good Day NY

MYFOXNY.COM - Stissing Middle School in Pine Plains, New York has a hero among its student body.

Zach Pruner, 12, was hiding in a room next to an armed gunman who held the school's principal hostage on Tuesday.

Zach passed along vital information to police outside using hand signals and notes. The gunman was captured thanks to help from Zach.

Good Day NY's Rosanna Scotto spoke with the boy on Wednesday. He explained in detail what he did to help police.

"I crawled under a desk... looked through a gap to see what was in the lobby but no one was there.  I heard a SWAT armored vehicle come up to the building... I got their attention by waving my arms. I used hand signals.. I did '1' then the gun sign; then '4' and the hostage sign."

When that didn't seem to work Zach grabbed a marker and a note pad and wrote the same information. Police wrote a note telling him to jump out the window.

"I took all my money out of my pocket. I took off my coat and threw it out the window. I jumped out the window and the police officer brought me to the cafeteria."

When asked if he was afraid Zach said: "I was more nervous than afraid."

Zach told Rosanna Scotto that he knew about the hand signals from the military. Zach's father is a Marine and his two older brothers are in the Army and currently serving in Iraq.

Zach wants to follow in his father's footsteps and become a Marine.