Larry Pickett Jr., a cadet and football player at West Point, is being hailed as a hero after he rescued a man from a burning vehicle near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point campus.
A video of the incident, showing Pickett Jr. and his father, Larry Pickett Sr., carrying the injured motorist away from his wrecked vehicle, has gone viral.
A woman could be heard shouting, “Larry! Come on! Come on! Get him out!”
“The car, a white sedan, had smashed into a utility pole on Route 9W in Fort Montgomery, New York, about 3.8 miles (6.1 kilometers) from West Point, authorities said,” the Associated Press reports. “Video of the rescue, recorded by Pickett Jr.’s sister, Lauren, showed sparking wires surrounding the vehicle.”
Larry Pickett Sr. took to Facebook to praise his son’s “immense courage.”
“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,” Pickett Sr. wrote. “With immense courage, he pulled a man to safety, saving him from a fiery fate.”
The cadet told ABC News that he didn’t think too much before rushing over to aid the driver. Instead, he let his instincts take over.
“Honestly, it wasn’t too much thinking that went into it,” Pickett Jr. told the network. “We just, like I said, we saw that there’s a car that crashed, somebody who needed our help, and without thinking, we just reacted and went and helped as best as we could.”
Pickett Jr. also drew praise from West Point, as the school celebrated his heroism on X.
“We’re proud of the heroic actions taken Saturday night by Cadet Larry Pickett Jr, a second-year cadet & @ArmyWP_Football player, & his father, who are seen pulling a driver to safety in a video online taken by the family. Their actions are the embodiment of the @USArmy Values,” the school wrote.
Army Athletic Director Tom Theodorakis seconded that same message.
“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.”
Pickett Jr.’s family had been in town to see Army take on Tarleton State in their first game of the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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