A 20-year-old man from Florida has survived a near-fatal gunshot wound in extraordinary circumstances after a gold cross necklace he was wearing deflected the bullet that struck his chest.
Aidan Perry was in the apartment of a friend in The Villages, Sumter County, on June 7, 2025, when the friend, unknowingly, fired a .40-caliber handgun as he was boasting about it. The bullet struck Perry directly in the chest, in an area where his necklace rested.
“It hit me right where the cross was,”
Perry told local reporters.
“I believe God had His hand on me that day. That necklace saved my life.”
Instead of piercing his heart or lungs, the bullet ricocheted off the pendant, exited near Perry’s armpit, then re-entered through his arm, fracturing his humerus bone.
Authorities later arrested Perry’s friend, who has not been publicly identified, on charges of culpable negligence causing injury under Florida law.
Perry was rushed to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, where trauma surgeon Dr. Khafra Garcia Henry led the emergency treatment. Dr. Henry explained that the necklace played a critical role.
“The bullet’s trajectory was altered by the metal of the cross,”
Dr. Henry said.
“It did not stop the round, but it slowed and redirected it. Without that deflection, we would likely be dealing with a fatal chest wound.”
Surgeons repaired Perry’s arm and treated his chest injuries. Despite the fractured bone, he is expected to make a full recovery.
For Perry and his family, the necklace carries profound personal meaning. It was a Christmas gift from his father, Aaron Perry. The pendant split in two on impact, absorbing part of the bullet’s force.
“My dad gave me that necklace to keep me safe,”
Perry said.
“I never thought it would actually protect me from something like this. To me, it’s a miracle.”
His father echoed the sentiment:
“That necklace was more than just jewelry it became a shield. I thank God my son is still here.”
While Perry and his family see divine intervention at work, medical professionals emphasize the physics. Gold is a soft metal and generally unable to stop a high-velocity round. In this case, the angle of impact likely caused the bullet to deflect rather than fully penetrate.
Ballistics specialists observe that these occurrences are uncommon but have happened before. In 2024, a man in the state of Colorado attributed his chain with deflecting a small-caliber bullet a story confirmed by the Associated Press.
Accidental shootings continue to be a problem, according to CDC (the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) . Roughly 40,000 gun injuries are treated each year in the U.S., with family members or friends who have been involved with weapons present in a standard shooting situation.
A tweet from X.
The case highlights the tension between faith and science. For the Perry family, survival was an answered prayer. For doctors, it was the necklace’s physical presence that altered the bullet’s path.
Social media amplified the “miracle” angle, but the story also raises pressing questions about firearm safety.
“We need to remember, that this was preventable. Aidan was lucky, but luck is not a safety plan.”
Dr. Henry said,
