Popular gym influencer visits 21-year-old fan, Huntington Beach hit-and-run victim

After a Huntington Beach hit-and-run left him with two broken legs and a long road to recovery, 21-year-old Anthony Challman got the surprise of a lifetime when his favorite gym influencer walked into his hospital room and, consequently, reconnected him with the couple who possibly saved his life.

“No way!” Challman exclaimed, according to social media star and Gym Positivity CEO Joey Swoll’s recount of the surprise visit. “I explained to him that his father emailed me, and I decided sending him an email wasn’t enough, I just had to come see him.”

Loved ones say Challman was hit when he was walking across the street around 10:30 p.m. on June 22 by a car driving roughly 60 mph. “It’s just difficult to think of a 21-year-old being left for dead, pretty traumatizing for all of us,” said Challman’s mother, April Challman.

After the hit-and-run driver took off, Challman was spotted by a couple driving by who, upon spotting him, immediately pulled over to help. “We didn’t think twice about doing it,” said Bob Tague. “ It just seemed natural to help somebody, but even the police said, ‘Most people don’t stop.’”

Bob and his wife, Susie Tague, blocked traffic and called 911 while Challman was unconscious. “We have grandchildren his age,” said Susie. “I would only hope and pray somebody would do the same for my family if that happened to my kids or my grandkids.” 

Officers responded to a 10:35 p.m. call regarding a pedestrian who was found in the roadway, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department, and arrived at the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Utica Avenue to find Challman, Bob and Susie. The department confirmed the hit-and-run, but has not arrested a suspect as of Saturday night.

The two good Samaritans said they had no idea what happened to Challman after he was rushed to the hospital — until later in the week, when they saw Joey Swoll’s Instagram post with Challman.

“Shortly after I put the post up, I got an email from Susie and Bob saying, ‘We were the ones who found Anthony, we’ve been thinking about him and praying for him,” Swoll told KTLA’s Lindsey Peña. Swoll then connected the couple with Challman’s family, and now they’re getting updates on the young man’s life they helped save.

In Swoll’s social media post, he explains the email Challman’s father sent him after the hit-and-run. “His son shattered both legs, broke all his ribs, his collarbone and much more. The father was so grateful his son was alive, but being he and his son are both gym rats that love to follow me, he asked me if I could email him some words of encouragement to help lift his spirits up as he lay in the hospital,” wrote the influencer to his millions of followers. “Being that it was so close to me, I immediately called all local hospitals looking for a trauma center with his son in it. After calling 5 hospitals, I found where he was and around 7:30 p.m. drove over to surprise him.”

When he walked in, he said Challman greeted him with a big smile on his face. “I said ‘Hey, there’s not a lot of people who walk away or live after what you just went through, so you can look at this as something that can give you perspective and help you gain some insight on life, or you can let it be a crutch and something that holds you down,’” Swoll recounted.

Swoll described Challman as “an incredible, kindhearted young man with a long road ahead of him to heal,” and said he plans to keep in touch throughout the 21-year-old’s recovery.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, and ask anyone with information to contact the Huntington Beach Police Department. In the meantime, loved ones set up a GoFundMe to help Challman and his family through his recovery.

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