An adorable calico kitten has been given a second chance at life thanks to a quick-thinking New York man who rescued her from a car engine.
Brooklyn-based photographer Antonio M. Rosario said it was sheer luck that initially led him to the trapped kitten.
"If we had been a minute off in any direction, this would never have happened," Rosario told TODAY.com.
Rosario was driving with his wife when he spotted the distressed kitten.
"In the adjacent lane, I see a Mercedes s550 with its left front turn signal light missing from the housing. In this housing is the little face of a kitten crying," Rosario wrote in a blog he created to share the furry feline's tale.
Rosario immediately signaled to the woman driving the car that she needed to pull over. Unfortunately, the driver had no idea how to open the hood.
"I can see the kitten sitting inside the housing where the turn signal lamp should be. She's staring at me and I reach in to grab her and she disappears further into the engine."
Rosario adding that he was becoming increasingly concerned that the kitten would die because of the heat.
By this time, a small crowd had gathered and several people stepped forward to lend a hand.
"Two guys get into the car and are searching for the hood release while I'm trying to reach in for the kitten. We all have iPhones, so we start Googling how to open the hood of an s550."
Finally, with the combined effort of those gathered, the hood was finally popped open and Rosario was able to entice the kitten out with some food.
"She first poked her head out of the hole. I told everyone to be quiet so we wouldn't scare her back into the engine. Finally she dropped one leg down then another...Gotcha!!!!!!"
Relieved, Rosario gathered the kitten into his arms.
"Everyone's thanking us and we're thanking them, and the driver was relieved and happy. "Are you going to keep her?" a guy asked. What do you think was our answer?"
Rosario has since taken the kitten home. Other than some conjunctivitis in her eyes and possibly some worms and fleas, she is doing very well.
Since her dramatic rescue, the kitten -- aptly dubbed Mercedes (or Mercy, for short) -- has quickly become the latest feline internet sensation, with Rosario's blog going viral in a few short days.
Here are more photos of Mercedes: