Hero Wesley Autrey

Note: The following group of temporary or one-shot celebrities are heroes of one kind or another. Some did heroic deeds for which they had to carefully train and prepare; others were simply in the right place at the right time and took bold action. Most put their own safety or comfort second and took personal risks in doing something deemed heroic by most of us. Many of these heroes did something physically brave. Others did things that might be described as heroically kind.

All deserve great credit. All these individuals give the rest of us hope at a time when there are far more miscreants than heroes to be reported on in the media.



New York City construction worker and father of two Wesley Autrey became known around the world as the "Subway Superman" in 2007 when he saved the life of a young man who had fallen onto the subway tracks in Manhattan.

Autrey and his girls were waiting for their train when 19-year-old Cameron Hollopeter, a film student, suffered a seizure and fell from the subway platform onto the tracks, in the path of an incoming train.

In a remarkable show of selfless courage, Autrey jumped from the platform, shoved Hollopeter between the tracks and covered the seizure victim with his own body. He later reported that his construction work had given him a pretty good idea of the clearance between the track bed and the bottom of a subway car. Happily, the clearance was just enough, and both men survived unhurt.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented Autrey the city's highest civilian honor, the Bronze Medallion, and President George W. Bush presented the hero and his daughters to the nation at his January 2007 State of the Union address.

Donald Trump presented Autrey $10,000, and other funds were donated for scholarships for the two girls. In addition, Autrey got a year's free rides on the subway, which he still takes to work; a new Jeep; season New Jersey Nets tickets; and other tributes to his bravery.