Jan 5, 2007 7:23 am US/Eastern
Humble Subway Hero Basks In National Spotlight
by Tamsen Fadal
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Wesley Autrey is basking in the glow of the national spotlight after his heroic subway save earlier this week.
AP
What an unbelievable week for subway hero Wesley Autrey. On Tuesday, he risked his life to save another man. On Thursday night, he appeared on "The Late Show With David Letterman," and on Friday he's heading to Los Angeles for more talk show appearances because people just can't get enough of him.
Autrey never imagined saving another man's life would land him an appearance with David Letterman two days later.
"I was like, 'Go help the man! You can do it!' That's what my mind told me," Autrey said.
Autrey told Letterman what happened after he jumped onto the tracks at the 137th Street station to rescue Cameron Hollopeter, a film student who had fallen off the platform after suffering from a seizure.
The construction worker had to get on top of Hollopeter and lay in between the train's wheels to keep both of their arm and legs from being severed.
"And I got this guy steady, and I got him locked down and I'm like, 'Excuse me sir, I don't know you, and you don't know me,' you know," Autrey said.
After the train rolled over the two of them, they had to wait for the power to be turned off before they could move.
"I had to wait another 20 minutes, and this guy wanted me off of him," Autrey said. "I was like, 'Please sir, you got to stay still.' So what I did, I struck up a conversation with him, and that kept him easy."
Letterman responded with a laugh, "So, are you from the area? Where you heading?"
It was an exciting day all around. Earlier in the day, Mayor Bloomberg gave Autrey the city's highest civilian award -- and free subway fare for a year.
Then there was the $10,000 check from Donald Trump.
It turns out that Autrey, a construction worker, worked on the Trump Towers off of West 66th Street.
Trump, "I knew he was good; I see that."
Just ask his two daughters, who saw it all that morning, and watched Thursday night as their dad become New York City's newest hero.
"Thank you [for] the tremendous example. It means a great deal to the city of New York to know that people do things like this," Letterman said.
When asked, Autrey said there is no question he would do it all again if he had to.
Autrey was also rewarded with an all-expense-paid trip to Disney World for him and his daughters. 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."
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said this is turning out to be a week of heroes in New York City.
Just days after Autrey saved a fellow straphanger, two brothers from the Bronx saved a toddler who fell four stories off a fire escape.
Read that story.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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