Team of lifesavers named MIA Employees of the Year

A team of nine employees at Miami International Airport who helped rescue an unconscious passenger at the MIA train platform last September were all named MIA’s Employees of the Year at the airport’s annual I AM MIA Reward and Recognition Gala on December 15. All the winners were rewarded with 40,000-mile vouchers from American Airlines to fly anywhere in the continental U.S., Mexico, or the Caribbean, two tickets to the South Beach Wine and Food Festival Grand Tasting event this February, and their choice of a Miami Spice Month dinner for two or two Miami Spa Month certificates, courtesy of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In mid-September, when MIA people mover technician Leonardo Cepera with Crystal Movers saw a passenger lose consciousness while standing at the MIA Mover train platform, he immediately began to administer CPR. MIA Landside officers Michelle De La Hoz, Julian Berrios, Jordan Chanying, Gerald Cerna, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Andrew Checcia, and Crystal Movers employee Alejandro Ortega were also nearby and responded to the incident, taking turns in performing CPR on the passenger for over 15 minutes straight.

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Deputy Omaira Burgos and a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue team soon arrived after MIA Landside Division Director Juan Ruano helped guide them to the difficult-to-find location. The passenger was then transported to the hospital for medical treatment and remained in stable condition.

Because of their outstanding compassion, quick thinking, and teamwork, Cepera, De La Hoz, Berrios, Checcia, Chanying, Cerna, Ortega, Deputy Burgos, and Ruano were named MIA’s September 2025 Employees of the Month, which made them eligible for the Employees of the Year honor.

The airport’s annual I Am MIA employee recognition gala, held at the MIA Hotel’s Viena Restaurant, also recognized each Employee of the Month winner from 2025. To learn more about all the monthly winners and the I AM MIA Reward and Recognition Program, visit the I AM MIA program’s web page.