SHANGHAI honored 32 people designated as heroes yesterday for their “righteous and courageous” acts.

Fourteen individuals and seven groups were honored.

Among those honored are five people, aged from 49 to 65, who together caught a man suspected of robbing a jewelry outlet in Jiading District last December.

The suspect surnamed Ye was said to have robbed Lao Feng xiang Jewelry Store, injuring security guards with a knife before escaping.

Zhu Xiaoyan, a saleswoman at a clothing store, and Chen Guoliang, a traffic attendant, saw the suspect running away and shouted to passers-by to help them catch him.

Wang Zhijun and Li Long, security guards at a local library, and Guan Jinlong, a company employee, ran after Ye and he was caught 130 meters from the store. He has since been detained.

Other winners included 50-year taxi driver Gu Xufei, who rescued a car driver who had fainted. His vehicle was emitting smoke. Gu dragged the driver out of the car, which exploded soon after.

Three people who prevented a driver from attacking a traffic police officer after being stopped for violating traffic laws were also honored.

Chen Jianhua, a 61-year-old guard in a residential community, was awarded for rescuing a 10-year-old boy last January from a building that collapsed after a natural gas explosion in Yangpu District.

The youngest person honored yesterday was 14-year-old Wang Zhe, who rescued a boy from a river last October.

In the past 18 years, more than 5,200 heroes, aged from 13 to 86, have been honored by the city and district governments. Of those, 53 died carrying out their brave deeds, while over 200 people were injured.