U.S Military Academy Honors College Football Athlete Who Saved a Man From Burning Car; HC Jeff Monken Proud

The Pickett family was driving back to campus after a family dinner in New York City’s Times Square when they witnessed a crash. A white sedan was wrecked after it hit a utility pole on Route 9W in Fort Montgomery, New York, an incident that took place approximately 3.8 miles from West Point. Only Larry Pickett Jr. here, an Army football player, decided to take matters into his own hands and proceeded to singlehandedly rescue the driver.

Clips of the rescue witnessed the sophomore safety and his father, Larry Pickett Sr., dragging a man out of the driver’s seat and carrying him away from the scene. A clip also recorded a woman yelling: “Larry! Come on! Come on! Get him out!” The Pickett family stayed with the driver until the police and firefighters arrived, and fortunately, the rescue took place right before the car burst into flames. The driver, who was initially disoriented and in disbelief that it was his car that had crashed, confirmed that he hadn’t consumed alcohol, any substances, or medications.

Meanwhile, these videos went viral, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point took to their X account, appreciating the efforts put into rescuing the driver: “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.”

Army Athletic Director Tom Theodorakis was proud of Larry Pickett Jr’s quick thinking. Further, Army head coach Jeff Monken wrote, “Larry’s heroic actions embody everything we strive to instill in our cadet-athletes — courage, selflessness, and a willingness to put others before themselves. In that critical moment, he didn’t think of himself, only of helping another person in need,” he said.

Pickett, soft-spoken in the aftermath, only offered: “I’m just grateful that we got him out, honestly.” That humility tracks with the values West Point has long built into its players. Even Pickett Sr., a proud father, would agree as he narrated the event in a WTVD-TV interview: “Just after Midnight, I watched in awe as my son, Larry Pickett Jr., ran toward a burning vehicle, ignoring the downed power lines crackling around it. With immense courage, he pulled a man to safety, saving him from a fiery fate. This is more than a display of leadership; it’s a testament to the character West Point is building in him…”

In Pickett’s case, those qualities were already part of his DNA. A native of Raleigh, he starred at Enloe High School before committing to the Army. And football runs in the family. His uncle, Ike Taylor, for instance, spent 12 seasons as a cornerback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, carving out a reputation as a gritty defender with two Super Bowl rings. Pickett may not yet have his uncle’s résumé, but his actions show the same brand of toughness, just translated into the real world.

Interestingly, the accident happened just two days after Pickett Jr. made his first collegiate game appearance. He recorded one tackle in Army’s Week 1 double-overtime loss to Tarleton State, 27–30. The stat sheet won’t jump off the page, but for a sophomore safety still waiting his turn in a deep secondary, it marked a step forward.