NY toasts Subway Superman after death-defying rescue

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WESLEY Autrey is a hero. For once the word cheapened by overuse is the only one that is appropriate. Mr Autrey was standing on the platform of a New York subway station with his two daughters when he noticed a young man having a fit. He put a pen in the man's mouth to keep him from swallowing his tongue. The 19-year-old film student, Cameron Hollopeter, recovered enough to get to his feet but then staggered and fell backwards off the platform on to the tracks. Not only was a train approaching, but the subway system has a third rail that carries 600 volts of electricity. "I had a split-second decision to make," Mr Autrey recalled. "Do I let the train run him over and hear my daughters screaming and see the blood? Or do I jump in?" He jumped, holding Mr Hollopeter down between the tracks as the screeching train ran over the top of them. Several carriages rolled over the men before the driver could bring the train to a stop. "Am I dead?" Mr Hollopeter asked. Mr Autrey replied: "No, we're under the train." When the 50-year-old construction worker yelled to the people on the platform that they were OK, he heard applause. The two men had to remain on the tracks for 20 minutes until the power was turned off. When he spoke to the media later, Mr Autrey still had dirt on his beanie. And like a true hero he continued on his way. He went to work, converting classrooms into a library at public school 380 — otherwise known as John Wayne Elementary School. Not surprisingly, he is the toast of New York. The New York Post called him the Subway Superman.