Transit police in Philadelphia are calling a local man a hero for jumping onto subway tracks to help a man who fell off the platform.

Thirty-two-year-old Christopher Knafelc was waiting for a train in north Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon when he saw a man walk off the platform and fall on the tracks. He jumped onto the tracks to help the 63-year-old man, knowing that another train would be arriving in a few minutes.

He held the man's head and neck stable until firefighters arrived. Train traffic was halted.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Police Chief Thomas J. Nestel III says Knafelc is a hero. Knafelc managed to notify SEPTA, which halted the trains along the southbound line so that the man could be rescued.

Nestel says investigators don't know what caused the man to fall on the tracks. He was taken to a hospital and listed in stable condition.

Knafelc was in Philadelphia area at the time to visit Temple University. He said he hopes to one day attend medical school, Fox affiliate WTXF reported.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.