FORT MONTGOMERY, NY — An Army football player is getting notoriety for being a hero off the field.
The incident, which is being called “selfless,” was caught on camera.
Larry Pickett Jr. and his father, Larry Pickett Sr., pulled a man from a burning vehicle just before it exploded near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Sunday, ESPN reported.
The white vehicle smashed into a utility pole in Fort Montgomery, New York, just under four miles from the campus.
Pickett Sr. posted to Facebook after the crash, writing, “Just after Midnight, I watched in awe as my son, Larry Pickett Jr., ran toward a burning vehicle, ignoring the downed power lines crackling around it. With immense courage, he pulled a man to safety, saving him from a fiery fate.”
The elder Pickett told WTVD that his son said his “military training kicked in” and “jumped right into action.”
Larry Pickett Jr. spoke to the news station after the incident, saying, “I mean, everything happened so fast. It wasn’t a lot of thinking, a lot of talking. Just reacting.”
As for the driver at the time of his rescue, Pickett Jr. said, “I remember him being very disoriented. Don’t remember his exact words. We could just tell that he was in need of help.”
Picket Jr. was humble when speaking to WTVD, saying, “To me, it’s not really an accomplishment. It’s just, just helping out, honestly, just, just selfless service and the willing to serve and help other people,”
News of Picket Jr. putting himself in harm’s way reached the highest levels of the Pentagon, The Associated Press reported.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll wrote on social media that the safety, “embodies the highest values of the Army and West Point: duty, honor, country.”
Driscoll added, “He showed that he can stand ready to act under pressure, whether on the football field, in his community, or in the future with the Soldiers under his command. We are proud - and deeply grateful - for his heroism.”
West Point officials also commented on the rescue with the academy’s athletic director, Tom Theodorakis, writing that what the father and son did was “exactly what we strive to develop ... leadership, courage, and selfless service.”
“Cadet Larry Pickett Jr. and his father exemplify the values we hold dear, stepping up in a moment of crisis to save a life,” Theodorakis wrote. “Proud to see these traits in action, on and off the fields of friendly strife. Count the brave.”