Community members have been rallying to help a homeless man after he tried to save a teenager who died in a car crash on Dec. 2.

Jeff Pangburn, 55, was lying under the gazebo at the Libbey Road and Highway 20 intersection on North Whidbey when, at about 3 a.m., he heard what he described as a “big crack.”

Immediately after, Pangburn saw a 2022 Dodge Charger tumbling toward a nearby power line as debris rained in his direction. To avoid getting harmed, he immediately moved out of his sleeping bag and blankets, but his hand was cut in the process, bleeding profusely.

The car, which was going at a high speed and lost control at the curve, crashed into a pole, just a few feet away from the spot where Pangburn had planned to spend the night.

He tried to get the teenager out, but the door wouldn’t open enough for him to pull her out of the vehicle, he said.

As the car caught fire, Pangburn worried the power lines could fall down any moment and electrocute him, making any attempts to help futile. Instead, he called 911 and ran screaming for help until he fell.

The driver, 15-year-old Grace Horn, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to a GoFundMe set up to pay for the teen’s funeral, Horn had taken her parent’s car to deliver some Doordash orders and make money to buy Christmas gifts for her family. The fundraiser can be found by searching “Support Grace’s Family in Their Time of Loss” on gofundme.com.

Pangburn went to WhidbeyHealth Medical Center to get the wound treated. Since the accident, his right knee has been swollen and he has a harder time walking. However, he said, he doesn’t make a “big stink” about it.

At the same time, the event left him in a state of anguish. Heidi Moran, who has been familiar with Pangburn’s friendly face for over a decade, said he was so distraught he needed to “take a break” and spend a few days at his brother’s house in Snohomish County.

Following the accident, a resident named Krista Vanicsek created a GoFundMe and an Amazon Wish List as a way to thank him for his effort, which left Pangburn surprised. Some had in fact read online that an anonymous homeless man was found with burned hands after he had attempted to get the girl out of the car, which wasn’t exactly what happened, though he did get a cut.

As a result, Moran said, Pangburn expressed he felt guilty for receiving gifts.

As of Tuesday morning, 86 people have made a donation to the GoFundMe, raising $3,205.

Moran, who has been working as a cashier at DK Market in Oak Harbor for 15 years, described Pangburn as a big man who always looks out for the store’s staff.

“He is always willing to help anyone he can,” she said.

He can often be seen hanging around the store with his black gardening cart, playing 1970s rock music on his portable Bluetooth speaker.

“Music kind of soothes my mind a little bit,” he said.

The store’s manager, Douglas Kim, described him as a humble giant with a gentle soul. At 6 feet and 10 inches of height, Pangburn is in fact known by many as “Jeff the Giant,” a nickname he loves to the point that he trained his nieces and nephews to refer to him exclusively as “Uncle Jeff the Giant.”

As he sat on his parked cart on Southwest Barlow Street, talking about the accident brought him to tears. During an interview, several friends stopped by to say hi and check on him.

“I’m popular,” he said.

Jesse Linhares has been friends with him since the late 1990s. Whenever he drives by, he makes sure to say hi and bring him something.

Pangburn has lived in Oak Harbor for 43 years, moving from Everett to the island when his father, William Pangburn, began to serve NAS Whidbey Island, flying on jets.

He became homeless about 15 years ago, after years of being arrested for burglary, drugs and stealing vehicles. Eventually, after looking back at years of making bad decisions, he realized it was time to stop.

Now, he stays out of trouble, though due to his gentle nature he is an easy target of thefts, Moran said.

Pangburn gets by thanks to Supplemental Security Income and charity donations. Though he has suffered two strokes in two years, he said he is doing okay.

Most of the time, he sleeps in the forest south of the Libbey Road intersection on Highway 20, near the fire danger sign. To protect himself from the wind and the rain, he uses a tarp.

Sleeping outside has been easier than sleeping at The Haven, an emergency shelter in Coupeville. Pangburn has frequent night scares that cause him to scream and kick in his sleep, so he prefers to deal with that elsewhere, smoking a cigarette to relax.

The forest also provides a cooler environment in the hot summer months while also keeping him warmer in the winter, he said. On the other hand, it’s hard to find a place in Oak Harbor that can shield him from the wind and the rain at the same time.

Often, he said, he wanders through the streets because he can’t find a place where he can spend the night. Finding a bathroom has also been hard as there are limited public restrooms around town.

“Being homeless here in Oak Harbor is no fun,” he said.

SPiN Cafe — a nonprofit that helps low-income and homeless people — has been a lifesaver, Pangburn said. There, he picks up his medication and has a place where he can eat and charge his phone.

Pangburn is grateful for the community support. To help him through the cold winter months, people can donate size 17 shoes, socks, 2XL sweatpants, 4XL sized hoodies, pullovers and coats, handwarmers, beanies and grocery or eatery gift cards. Donations can be dropped off at DK Market.

Community members can also find the GoFundMe by searching “Helping Jeff (the gentle giant): Honoring His Heroism.” Funds will be used to buy necessities or help him pay for a hotel when it’s too cold outside.

Note: this story was updated at 5:50 p.m. on Dec. 13 to include that Pangburn tried to pull the victim out of the car. We apologize.

(Photo provided) Kenn Petersen took this photo after the Dec. 2 crash that killed 15-year-old Grace Horn. The vehicle came just a few feet from where Jeff Pangburn was lying in a gazebo.