Larry Pickett Jr., a redshirt freshman safety on the Army football team, helped rescue a man from a burning vehicle after coming across the fiery scene.
Pickett Jr. and his family were on the way back from dinner in New York’s Times Square on Saturday, August 30, when they saw a wrecked vehicle surrounded by downed power lines in Fort Montgomery, New York, about five miles south of Army’s West Point campus.
The football player and his father, Larry Pickett Sr., carried an unidentified man from the car just moments before it burst into flames.
Pickett Sr. shared a video of the incident via Facebook on Sunday, August 31, which was captured by his daughter, Lauren.
“Thank you Jesus that this man will live to see another day!” Pickett Sr. wrote. “I am so grateful for my son LJ for saving his life! Not only is he making an impact in the classroom and on the football field at the United States Military Academy at West Point, but he’s also making a difference in his community!”
Pickett Sr. added, “This is more than a display of leadership; it’s a testament to the character West Point is building in him — a readiness to go into the line of fire, not just for his country, but for anyone who needs it. To see that courage and selflessness in action firsthand was truly incredible.”
In an interview with ABC11 North Carolina, Pickett Sr. said there was “no discussion” about helping the ailing man.
“My son just jumped right into action,” Pickett Sr. said. “He mentioned his military training kicked in, and we pulled him out. He took care of him on the side of the road until the police officers got there. And then the fire department got there shortly after.”
Pickett Jr., who attended Enloe High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, made his collegiate debut on Friday, August 29, roughly 24 hours before stumbling upon the car crash.
The Army Black Knights lost 30-27 at home in double overtime to FCS school Tarleton State. Pickett Jr. was credited with one tackle.
Pickett Jr. was commended by the U.S. Military Academy on Sunday, writing in a social media post that it is “proud of the heroic actions” taken by Pickett Jr. and his father.
Army athletic director, Tom Theodorakis, also noted Pickett Jr.’s “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 via X on Monday, September 1. “Proud to see these traits in action, on and off the fields of friendly strife.”
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