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Army football player saves man from burning car

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 4:43 PM ET

An Army football player was hailed as a hero after pulling a man from a burning car early Sunday.

Video showed Army sophomore safety Larry Pickett Jr. and his father pulling a man from a car after a crash near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Moments after the man was pulled from the vehicle, the car caught fire.

Pickett and his father had to avoid downed power lines as they carried the man across the street to safety. The driver had gone off the road and drove into a utility pole.

Pickett told CBS New York that he was “extremely thankful” to be in the right place to help, and that he had no qualms about jumping into the situation.

“Seeing that there was somebody who needed help, there’s not much thinking or any talking. Just knowing that we had to go help someone, just reacted off of that,” Pickett said.

The academy acknowledged the actions of Pickett and his father on X, writing that their actions are “the embodiment” of Army values.

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. pic.twitter.com/dlccTMwonT
— U.S. Military Academy at West Point (@WestPoint_USMA) September 1, 2025

Pickett played in Army’s season-opening game Saturday, one day prior to his actions. He collected one special teams tackle in a loss to Tarleton State, who repeatedly taunted their Army opponents during the victory.

The Raleigh, N.C. native did not appear in any games for Army last season as a true freshman.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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