The accident occurred on March 10, just as Goldman was finishing up a 12-hour shift at Valley Hospital in Paramus, where he was working in the cardiac intensive care unit. He was heading home to Montvale, New Jersey, exiting the Parkway, when he saw the overturned bus, wrecked on its side.

"I was just about to get off my exit when I saw the bus crash, maybe 50 yards in front of me," Goldman said. "I think even without my emergency experience, I probably would have jumped out and helped anyway, but it definitely was a plus having that experience and knowing what to do in the situation."

The scene was chaotic. The bus had flipped, and one child had been severely injured and remains in critical condition. Without hesitation, Goldman pulled over, raced toward the crash and began pulling children from the mangled bus.

With his extensive training as a volunteer EMT for nearly six years with his hometown Tri-Boro Ambulance Corps, Goldman was calm calling 911 in addition to helping the children. His ambulance corps—the primary 911 service for his town—raced to the scene, where Goldman worked alongside them, triaging the passengers and assessing their injuries.

“I’ve been on over 700 calls," he said. "It was a crazy scene, but I knew exactly what to do. My training just kicked in, and I started helping where I could.”

Goldman’s dedication to helping others runs deep. He’s been an EMT since he was 16, working with a volunteer ambulance corps that serves his community.

“I’ve always been interested in healthcare, and it felt like a great way to get exposure to the field and do something good for the community," he said.

His passion for healthcare led him to Quinnipiac, where he’s currently finishing his senior year and will graduate in May with a bachelor of science in nursing.

“The School of Nursing is immensely proud to recognize Matt’s extraordinary bravery and skill during this accident,” said Lisa Rebeschi, senior associate dean and professor. “His demonstration of extraordinary courage in responding to the injured is to be commended. Matt’s actions deserve our profound respect and we are truly grateful that he was ‘in the right place at the right time.’  As a soon-to-be School of Nursing graduate, we know that his future is bright, that he will continue to have a profound impact on those that he cares for and that he will continue to make Quinnipiac University proud.”

Goldman said his experiences in both the field and the classroom have shaped his desire to make a difference.

“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking at all when I got to the accident scene. I just went in headfirst,” he reflected. “I think all of my training just kicked in and I went into autopilot and did what needed to be done until I had a moment to take a deep breath and be like, 'Oh my gosh, that just happened.'”

When Goldman returned home that night, still processing the chaos of the crash, he didn’t expect the attention that would soon come. Still, his actions on the Parkway were impossible to ignore. On March 13, Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali honored Goldman as a hometown hero. Goldman also received a proclamation from both the town of Montvale and the New Jersey State Assembly, an honor from the Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the key to the city of Montvale.

"I really believe that even without the training, people would stop and help in a similar situation," he said. "I try to see the good in humanity. I am really out of my comfort zone with all the attention. I was in the right place at the right time and it validates that I want to spend the rest of my life helping people.”