— A Triangle man is being hailed as a hero after being credited with saving lives when a Georgia police chase ended in a deadly crash.

Scott Waldrup, 30, graduated from Enloe High School in 2005. Thursday night, family and friends were grieving his death.

Alison Murray and JJ Manning were close to the Waldrup family and best friends with Waldrup’s sister, Stacy. Both agree that Waldrup died as he lived.

“You meet him and he has the biggest heart and the largest presence possible and you feel like you’re so loved when you’re with him,” Murray said.

One day after celebrating his favorite holiday, the Fourth of July, Waldrup put other people’s safety over his own in the City Market section of Savannah, Ga.

Witnesses told Savannah police that Waldrup pushed several people out of the way of a speeding SUV fleeing from police after a person in the car fired shots that wounded three people in the downtown historic district.

The SUV struck and killed Waldrup before crashing.

“He’s so selfless and he is just magnificent in every way imaginable and it did not surprise me that he would put others in front of himself,” Manning said.

Two other people were also killed in the crash.

Waldrup’s heroic actions, friends say, are indicative of how he lived, the lives he touched and a friendship that was cherished by many.

Manning and Murray were on their way Thursday night to help comfort Waldrup’s sister in her time of loss.

“She calls Scott her person and Stacy is my person, so you drop everything for your person,” Manning said.

Waldrup's former coach at Enloe remembered him Thursday as an "outstanding student' who enjoyed the dramatic arts and athletics. He was a former diving champion who she said was "fearless."

Waldrup is survived by his long-time partner, Tart Johnson, as well as his parents and two sisters.

Those attending a memorial service for Waldrup are asked to wear colorful clothing, shorts and flip flops, which friends say is what he would have wanted.

A 17-year-old was arrested on charges that included three counts of felony murder in connection with the crash. Authorities in Georgia believe the shooting that led to the police chase was gang-related.