A Good Samaritan jumped onto the tracks at a Manhattanville subway station at 137th Street and Broadway this afternoon to save the life of a stranger who had fallen after having an apparent seizure.
The man stumbled off the platform onto the tracks, where he could have been killed if not for the heroic efforts of 50-year-old Wesley Autrey who did the unthinkable, jumping onto the tracks with a train approaching.
"He was stuck and I was like, 'Wow. Do I struggle here?' If I got him up, then I would have to go for the ground. And I didn't have that much time. So I just went for the gutter thing," said Autrey. "I just dove on top of him and held him down, cause I knew there would be enough clearance for us."
Autrey, a construction worker who lives in the neighborhood, grabbed the man and pinned him down in the gutter between the running rails while a downtown 1 train passed overhead, miraculously leaving both men without a scratch.
"I had to have the guy pinned down, because like I said, he was in a seizure," said Autrey. "He was incoherent. He was fighting, pushing and pushing against me. So I had to lock myself down, so he wouldn't push me back, and possibly my head get hit."
Autrey's two young daughters, ages four and six, who were with him at the time of the incident, watched in horror while the situation unfolded. When the train finally came to a stop, Autrey called out to them to let them know he was alive.
Autrey guessed there was maybe an inch or inch and a half clearance between his head and the underside of the train.
"Remember, the gutter maybe got like a 12-inch drop. So his body fitted in there perfectly. And I just laid on top of him, and had to pin him down," he said.
The man Autrey saved was taken to St. Luke's hospital as a precautionary measure, where he is listed in stable condition. He is expected to recover.
When asked if he considers himself a hero, Autrey said absolutely not. He said he was just doing what he thinks anyone else would do.
"No, I don't consider myself a hero," he said. "I just went to someone's aid. Someone who was in need of help."
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18 comments:
Awesome! Tears in my eyes!
What a beautiful story.
How proud his daughters must be!
God bless him. I'd like to think I would have done the same, but I seriously doubt it.
Some grateful New Yorker ought to open a scholarship fund for his two daughters.
Or Donald Trump or Rosie O'Donnell ought to do it, they're so big hearted. < g >
Speaking of Trump and O'Donnell, have you noticed how much play this story is getting compared to theirs? Just goes to show you where the media's heart is.
You make a good point. The media is so busy fussing over celebrities that they hardly mention this guy or any of the heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thank you for posting this beautiful story.
Mr. Autrey is one of those rare people who would throw himself on top of a grenade to save his fellow soldiers. God bless him.
I heard a somewhat similar local story involving a school bus on the local news last night that involved some teenagers.
The one teenaged "hero" said pretty much the same thing, "I was just doing what anybody would do."
That's why these people are heroes.
His daughters will never forget what he did right in front of their eyes. He doesn't have to search for a legacy.
What a beautiful man.
I don't think I know anyone who would have done what he did. Although I'd like to believe I would have, I have serious doubts. He worked by instinct and his insticts were amazing.
I want his address and phone number. I want him as a friend, and an employee, and defending my country. Think he could handle all 3?
Seriously, this guy's one in a million, or more.
I don't think I know anyone who would have done what he did.
Ditto here.
I want him in my corner when the ---- hits the fan.
I wonder what makes him different from the rest of us? If it had even popped into my head to do what he did I would have stopped myself because of my two little girls. I'm not saying he's wrong (far from it), just that I would have weighed the consequences to myself and my family.
I heard about this story on Fox News for the first time today. They said that donations are coming in from all over the country and Mayor Bloomberg has awarded him a medal of some kind. It's nice to see that he's being recognized.
An example of a great American.
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