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NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ― The city's subway hero spent Thursday basking in his newfound celebrity, showered with a trip to Disney World and $10,000 from Donald Trump as well as a medal from the mayor and plenty of national attention.

At a City Hall news conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg also bestowed a unique title on Wesley Autrey -- "the hero of Harlem."

In a statement Thursday, the family of the teen Autrey rescued, 19-year-old Cameron Hollopeter, said the 50-year-old construction worker "deserves all of the attention and the accolades that are now being bestowed upon him."

Accompanied by his daughters, 6-year-old Shuqui and 4-year-old Syshe, Autrey smiled broadly as he was showered with praise during an appearance with Bloomberg and other city leaders.

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."

Bloomberg presented Autrey with a Bronze Medallion, the city's highest award for civic achievement. Past honorees have included Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali and Willie Mays. The last recipient was Housing Authority employee Felix Vasquez, who caught a baby thrown from a burning building in 2005.

Autrey is "a great man -- a man who makes us all proud to be New Yorkers," said the mayor.

Dressed in a dark suit, rose-colored shirt and red tie, Autrey responded by giving the mayor a big bear hug and saying, "Thank you, Sir."

Autrey then again provided details of his heroism to the media gathered at City Hall.

Hollopeter, a student at the New York Film Academy, was at the subway station at 137th Street/City College on Tuesday when he suffered a seizure and fell onto the tracks just as a train was approaching.

Autrey was standing on the platform with his daughters and scores of other subway riders when he saw Hollopeter convulsing on the tracks. As he watched, he thought: "I'm the only one to do it."

He eyed the trough between the rails before jumping on top of the teenager, Autrey said, and relied on his experience as a construction worker used to "confined spaces" to calculate -- in split seconds -- that "maybe we have enough clearance."

Before jumping, he said he made sure his daughters were OK and asked two women to hold their hands.

The southbound train grazed the top of his hat. He said he and Hollopeter remained there for 20 minutes while MTA workers shut off the third rail.

"What I did was something any and every New Yorker should do: If you see someone in distress do the right thing --help out."

Hollopeter was hospitalized in stable condition Thursday; Autrey refused medical attention -- and then went to work. He said his boss bought him a "hero" sandwich.

Autrey wasn't alone in his heroics: On Wednesday, three police officers delivered a baby on a Brooklyn subway platform.

And on Thursday, two men passing by a Bronx apartment building caught a 3-year-old boy who toppled from a fourth-floor fire escape, police said. Both children were in good condition.

"This is the week of heroes in New York," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

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 $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.

Autrey said the best thing about the City Hall ceremony was "being able to be with my daughters here because the situation could have turned out a lot worse."

Born in Florida, he attributed his urge to help others to his "Southern upbringing."

As for his new celebrity, he concluded, "good things happen when you do good."

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)