NEW YORK - A man's daring rescue of a teen who fell on the subway tracks earned him the unique title "the hero of Harlem" on Thursday, plus $10,000 from Donald Trump and a trip to Disney World.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg bestowed the title upon Wesley Autrey as he presented him with the city's highest award for civic achievement, calling the 50-year-old construction worker "a great man — a man who makes us all proud to be New Yorkers."
On Tuesday, Autrey saw Cameron Hollopeter, a 19-year-old film student, suffering a seizure while waiting for a train. After stumbling down the platform, Hollopeter, of Littleton, Mass., fell onto the tracks with a train on its way into the station.
He jumped down to the tracks, a few feet below platform level, and rolled with the young man into a drainage trough between the rails as the southbound No. 1 train came into the 137th Street/City College station.
Some train cars passed over Autrey and Hollopeter with only a couple of inches to spare, but neither man suffered any harm from the incident. Hollopeter, hospitalized for his medical condition, was in stable condition Thursday.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Executive Director Elliot Sander called Autrey's action "a death-defying act of bravery. We truly have not seen anything like this. ... He was at the right place at the right time and did the right thing."
After the City Hall ceremony, a limousine whisked Autrey — who also received a year's worth of free subway rides — to a meeting with Trump, who presented him with $10,000.
He also has received $2,500 from the New York Film Academy to start a scholarship fund for his children, and tickets and a backstage tour to the Broadway musical "The Lion King."
Autrey, who did the morning news show circuit on Thursday and taped a David Letterman appearance later in the day, will be flown to Los Angeles for an appearance next week on Ellen DeGeneres' show.
As for his new celebrity, he concluded, "good things happen when you do good."
2007-01-04 20:28:49 · 6 answers · asked by puffy 6 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ New York City
WOW! would you have been as brave!
What a great story to start the day!
2007-01-04 20:30:01 · update #1
The right man at the right time...god bless this man!
2007-01-05 03:22:06 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've followed this story it's amazing especially at the subway. Some people just do things similar to this naturally. I've witnessed things like this, but New York makes it exceptional. To me it proves that good people are at there best when miracles like this take place.
Many thoughts come to mind yes Hero, Guardian Angel, Unconditional Love of Mankind, Act of God, and many more...
2007-01-04 20:59:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah, while the trains are packed u can infrequently breathe,everybodys squished against eachother, No seats, now and lower back the trains are so packed u cant get in or out ur end. Its terrible.
2016-10-06 11:34:30 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is this a question or are you looking for Yahoo! News and not Yahoo! Answers.
2007-01-05 00:56:54 · answer #4 · answered by thunder2sys 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't know. I mean with my kids standing there and all. I know I would have done something.
2007-01-04 20:38:27 · answer #5 · answered by somebodys_watchn_you 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2007-01-04 20:36:15 · answer #6 · answered by booge 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋