World Eater:
That’s probably it. Amongst Brooklyn Hasidim, it’s mostly Jason Kidd that’s in these days, with a few pockets of LeBron James this year.
Highly likely.
It might have happened either way; turning off the gas of an oven is a desperation situation. Often the parents will send a kid out to just find someone, if they feel they can trust the locals in general.
Correct. We’re allowed to hint that something needs to be done, and let the non-Jew figure out for himself what to do, but directly asking would be tantamount to doing it ourselves.
As I said earlier, not necessarily.
Quite possibly there’s someone specific who’s usually their first choice to go to. Often Jews will refer to said person as their “Shabbos Goy,” though any non-Jew is equaly suited for the purpose.