After Huntington’s beach left him with two broken bones and a long journey to recovery, 21-year-old Anthony Challenman was surprised for his life when his favorite gym influencer walked into his room and reconnected with the couple who saved his life.
“Outspicious!” cried Chaleman as social media star and CEO of Jim Agility Joey Swol talks about the surprise visit. “I explained to him that his father had emailed me, and I decided that it wasn’t enough to send him an email, I had to come and see him.”
A loved one says he was walking down the street at around 10:30pm on June 22 when Chaleman was attacked in a car driving a roughly 60-mile car. “It’s difficult to think about a 21-year-old child dying.
After the hit and run driver took off, Chaleman was immediately spotted by a couple driving for help when they found him. “We never thought about doing that again,” Bob Tag said. “It seemed natural to help someone, but even the police said, “Most people don’t stop.” ”
Bob and his wife, Susie Tague, blocked traffic and called 911, but Chaleman was unconscious. “We have grandchildren who is his age,” Susie said. “If that happens to my children or grandchildren, I just want and pray that someone will do the same for my family.”
Officers answered a 10:35pm call about pedestrians found on the road, and arrived at the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Utica Avenue, finding Chaleman, Bob and Susie, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department. The department has confirmed hit and run, but as of Saturday night it has not arrested the suspect.
Two good Samaritans say that after he was rushed to the hospital, he didn’t know what had happened to Chaleman.
“Immediately after I uploaded the post, Susie and Bob said, “We were the people who found Anthony, so I was praying for him,” Swoll told Lindsey Peña of Ktla. Swoll then joined Challman’s family and is now up to date on the lives of the young man they saved.
Anthony Chaleman is seen here along with gym influencer Joey Swol during a surprise hospital visit after being injured in a hit and run in Huntington Beach. June 2025 (Joey Swoll via Instagram) Anthony Challman will be seen here before being injured in a hit-and-run in Huntington Beach in June 2025. June 2025 (John Chaleman) Anthony Chaleman is seen here before being injured in a hit-and-run in June 2025 at Huntington Beach.
In a social media post on Swoll, he explains an email that Challman’s father sent him after a hit and run. “His son shattered both his legs and broke all his ribs, collarbone, etc. The father was very grateful that his son was alive, but he and his son were both gym rats who loved to follow me and asked if he could send us words of encouragement to help him improve his spirit when lying in the hospital. “It was so close to me, so I immediately called all the local hospitals and looked for the trauma centers that my son had entered. After calling five hospitals, I found where he was and surprised him at about 7:30pm.”
When he entered he said Chaleman greeted him with a big smile on his face. “I can say, ‘Hey, not many people leave or live after you’ve just experienced it, so you can see it as something that can give you a perspective and help you gain insight into life, or you can make it a crutch and something that holds you down,” Swoll said.
Swoll described Challman as “an incredibly kind young man with a long way before him to heal,” and said he plans to stay in touch through the recovery of the 21-year-old.
Police said an investigation was underway and they asked anyone with information to contact the Huntington Beach Police Department. In the meantime, loved ones founded GoFundMe to help Chaleman and his family through his recovery.
