NYC's Got A New Subway Hero

The digital countdown clocks in the subway stations served a new purpose yesterday, when 36-year-old Carlos Flores used one to check how much time he had to save a man who had fallen on to the tracks. Happy Monday everyone, we have a new subway hero! According to the Daily News, Flores was waiting for the downtown 6 train at 103rd Street at 8 a.m. yesterday when he saw a man (who allegedly fainted) sprawled over the tracks. He told the paper, "I was thinking, if he gets hit I can't go to work. It's Sunday. I can't miss out. It's a time-and-a-half day." (His job at a NoHo grocery store, where he's a produce clerk, gets him 19 bucks an hour on Sundays.)

Flores said the countdown clock said the next train would be arriving in 3 minutes, which he thought would be plenty of time—but after getting the 220-pound man off the tracks, he nearly didn't have enough time to save himself. He said he could see the lights and hear the train braking as it was approaching the station, luckily another straphanger did a good deed by alerting the station agent of the situation, who gave the train conductor a heads up.

An NYC Transit rep says that following Flores's lead isn't recommended, and that they "discourage anyone from jumping to the roadbed." But doing nothing never got anyone front page coverage.

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By Jen Carlson in News on November 29, 2010 11:08 AM

Comments [rss]

whitecastlerock

What is more incredible is the person managed to get the station agent's attention in the first place. Ask them for directions or to check or your Metro Card and you are treated like dog shit...

brwnmamba

So this guy jumped on the tracks and got the guy up, but the good samaritan who notified the station agent, whom notified rail control, whom notified the train conductor saved the day.

Why aren't these other people on the home page? This is another perfect example of why we need human station agents at all stations.

GREGORYABUTLER

Actually, it's the train operator, not the conductor, who drives the train and stops it in emergencies - the conductor just rides in the middle of the car and opens the doors.

jaycjay

"(who allegedly fainted)"

Allegedly? Is there some reason to doubt that he'd fainted?

riotturtle

@JellyNYC: yeah, working class people who actually depend on their jobs to survive are SUCH assholes.

Spirit of 76

What I don't get is why nobody grabbed his hands and hauled him up after he saved the guy.

jaycjay

If you read the original story, there's no indication that he was down on the tracks for any time struggling to get up: "I jumped on the tracks. I grabbed him. I stood him up," Flores said. "I'm walking him toward the platform. A guy on the platform grabs his hands. Now I'm down there. The train is coming."

Presumably, he then immediately got out, whether with or without anyone on the platform helping him.

Spirit of 76

I read the original story earlier. He also said, "I'm like, 'Oh my god!' " That doesn't sound like somebody who had plenty of time to get back up on the platform. Also, they wouldn't have made a big deal out of somebody else telling the station agent and having the train stopped if it wasn't in the nick of time.

Rocknrope

Same reason why noone saved the guy in the first place. Most people are selfish a-holes.

HypocraticOath

Sorry, but this guy is kind of an asshole. His first thought was not "Oh, someone might die in front of me," but a potential loss of income.

fuboy

No charity is entirely altruistic. Every act of generosity has, in some small part, a selfish component. At least he's honest about it.

And I'm with the others - it doesn't matter what his motivation to do it was, it's the fact that he did it that matters.

diablofreak

come on, i wouldn't even have the balls to jump in myself. i would much rather go to work late and just call the station agent or something. by then there may not be enough time to save the guy who fainted.

you are here, sitting in front of your computer in your underwear while passing judgement on what reasoning caused the man to jump in to dangerous subway train tracks save another man? and who's the asshole here?

i think he is awesome. heroic acts born out of selfishness is okay in my book.

HypocraticOath

I was not passing judgment in my underwear- I had pants on.

Rocknrope

Does it really matter what he first thought? I'm sure there were plenty of people who thought "oh my, that man is going to die, how horrible" and did nothing. Personally, I'd prefer the guy rescue me.