Video of the dramatic encounter, which was captured on the residential building’s security camera, begins with the dog’s owner walking into the elevator as Mathis is seen exiting the lift. Disaster strikes after the elevator doors close before the dog manages to join its owner inside.
Quick to act after hearing the owner’s “terrified” screams, Mathis jumped to help the struggling pomeranian, detaching the leash from its collar.
Mathis told local news station Fox 5 that the encounter was an “intense moment to say the least,” adding that “it was super scary and that all I was focused on was getting that leash off the dog.”