One driver is counting his blessings and is grateful to be alive after a heroic football player and his father jumped into action to save him from a burning vehicle. This jaw-dropping rescue immediately captured national attention, and since the release of the now-viral video, the courageous Army safety has been dubbed on social media as a “real-life superhero.”
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According to WTVD, Black Knights sophomore safety Larry Pickett Jr., 20, and his father were returning home from dinner when they spotted a crash near Route 9W in Fort Montgomery, New York. The incident, which occurred shortly after midnight on August 31, 2025, involved live power lines sparking around the vehicle. “There was no discussion. My son just jumped right into action,” Larry Pickett Sr. shared with the outlet.
In a now-viral video, Pickett Jr. and his father sprinted toward the burning car, pulling the unconscious driver from the wreck just moments before the vehicle burst into flames. Pickett Sr. later told the outlet that his son’s “military training kicked in,” allowing them to safely move the driver to the side of the road.
Once clear from the wreckage, the driver sounded disoriented, asking, “Whose car was this?” “That’s your car,” Pickett Jr. confirmed. When he pressed the driver about how much he had to drink, the man insisted he hadn’t been drinking. “Aye, you crashed, my G,” Pickett Jr. said. Still in disbelief, the driver asked, “Into what?” for Pickett to confirm, “A tree!”
“I am just grateful we were able to get him out,” Pickett Jr. said. “It could have ended really differently for him and his family.”
According to the Fort Montgomery Fire Department, firefighters responded to the scene of the crash. They successfully extinguished the fire, and without the courageous efforts of Pickett Jr., the driver wouldn’t have survived.
“Thank you, Jesus, that this man will live to see another day! I am so grateful to my son LJ for saving his life!” the father told The New York Post. This was a very proud moment for Pickett Sr. as he acknowledged his son’s courageous efforts. “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.”
Social media users shared their praises for the military superhero. “With all the chaos in the world today, it was so uplifting to read about his bravery and selflessness,” one Instagram user wrote. “It truly reflects the best of the Army’s values and spirit of service. You must be incredibly proud.”
Another wrote, “I can’t watch this without getting emotional. To hear your family be so worried as you risk your lives without thinking twice. Your community looks up to you!”
Praise to the parents kept pouring in as a church member of the crash victim wrote, “Thank you so much for being there to save my church member and friend. I’m still in disbelief. He is definitely blessed. It could have been a different story.”
There is no word on the victim’s status since the accident.
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