Autrey

On the tracks, Autrey realized there was not enough time to drag Hollopeter away.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Autrey had jumped onto a New York subway track to save a stranger who had fallen off the platform while having a seizure.

The stories behind the visitors in the State of the Union galleries David A. Fahrenthold 2011

We have someone offering help at a cost to himself—life and limb in the case of Autrey—who is a cooperator.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Despite the lights and rumble that signaled the approach of a southbound train, Autrey jumped down to help the fallen student as his daughters looked on, aghast.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

On January 2, 2007, Autrey was waiting with his two young daughters for a train at the 137th Street and Broadway station in Manhattan when he saw Cameron Hollopeter undergoing a seizure.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Even though they are most certainly not brothers or sisters or uncles or cousins, I can call to mind plenty of people—think of the heroism of Wesley Autrey in the last chapter—who would still hurl themselves into the water without giving a second thought about relatedness.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Within a few weeks, Autrey had received a flood of gifts, been honored by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, and showered with praise for his heroic role in the “Miracle Under 137th Street.”

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Autrey borrowed a pen and used it to keep the jaw of the student open.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Understanding human evolution, and what paved the way for extraordinary behavior, such as the feat of bravery shown by Wesley Autrey, will require us to explore how group selection cooperates with direct and indirect reciprocity.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

When Wesley Autrey risked his own life to save that of a stranger, he became the epitome of an everyday hero.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011