In 2007, chaos struck when a young man suffered a seizure and fell onto the subway tracks. As the train approached, the crowd froze—everyone but Wesley Autrey.
With his two daughters watching, this construction worker made a split-second decision: he leapt onto the tracks, pushed the man into a shallow trough, and shielded him with his own body. Seconds later, the train roared overhead, so close that grease brushed Autrey’s cap.
When silence fell, his voice rose: “We’re okay down here. But I’ve got two daughters up there. Let them know their father’s alright.”
He didn’t seek glory. He just saw someone in danger and acted. That day, an ordinary man became the “Subway Hero”—a living reminder that true courage is often found in the split second between fear and humanity.