Video Captures West Point Cadet And His Father Saving A Man From Fiery Car Wreck
on Sep 02, 2025
The Car Burst Into Flames Moments After The Driver Was Rescued From The Wreck
When there’s a car wreck, sometimes it takes the response of a good Samaritan to make all the difference before emergency rescue crews arrive.
That’s what happened just after midnight on August 31 in Fort Montgomery, New York, when a West Point Cadet named Larry Pickett Jr., who is on the Army West Point Football team, was in a car with his family and saw a car that had crashed into a utility pole.
His family was in town for his first football game of the season, but Larry and his father, Larry Pickett Sr., jumped into action that evening, rescuing the driver of the car from the wreckage.
Sparks were flying as they approached the vehicle, with the crackle of an electric charge ringing through the air.
Moments later, the car was engulfed in flames.
“I watched in awe as my son, Larry Pickett Jr., ran toward a burning vehicle, ignoring the downed power lines crackling around it,” wrote Larry Pickett Sr. on his Facebook page. “With immense courage, he pulled a man to safety, saving him from a fiery fate.”
A Daring Rescue
Returning from dinner in New York City, the Picketts were not far from West Point when they saw the wrecked white sedan.
“Seeing that there was somebody who needed help, there’s not much thinking or any talking,” said Larry Pickett Jr., as quoted in a CBS News report. “Just knowing that we had to go help someone, just reacted off of that.”
Only about six miles from West Point’s campus, Larry and his dad found the driver in the car with his seatbelt still on. Together, they pulled him from the vehicle and carried him across the street to safety.
“Well, guess what? The Lord is with you,” said Larry Pickett Sr. as he spoke to the driver a few moments after the car burst into flames.
The driver said he had not been drinking and expressed his surprise at seeing his car on fire.
“That’s your car,” Larry Pickett Jr. said as the driver shared his disbelief about the situation.
Later on, after the local police and fire department arrived, Larry Pickett Jr. watched on, shaking his head, saying, “I’m just thankful, honestly. That could’ve been really bad for him and his family.”
The rescue was captured on video by his family, and shared to Larry Pickett Sr.’s Facebook page.
View the video, here:
Reactions To Larry’s Heroic Actions
Larry Pickett Jr. is expected to graduate from West Point in 2028, and his school was quick to celebrate his actions, writing on its Facebook page:
“USMA is proud of the heroic actions taken Saturday night by Cadet Larry Pickett Jr, a second-year West Point cadet and Army West Point Football player, and his father, Larry Pickett Sr, who are seen pulling a driver to safety in a video online taken by the family.”
West Point added, “Running towards danger to save lives is the embodiment of the Army Values and Warrior Ethos.”
Tom Theodorakis, West Point athletic director, said, “Cadet Larry Pickett Jr. and his father exemplify the values we hold dear, stepping up in a moment of crisis to save a life. Proud to see these traits in action, on and off the fields of friendly strife. Count the brave.”
