Heart-stopping moment Good Samaritan leaped onto subway tracks to save man, 63, who fell - as other passengers stood and watched

Christopher Knafelc, 32, was sitting several yards away when he saw the man tumble off the platform



Mr Knafelc was the furthest away but only one seen rushing to his rescue



Hero estimated having 5-10 minutes before the next train came but said he had a plan if it happened sooner



The incredible moment a Good Samaritan fearlessly leaped onto live subway tracks to save a 63-year-old man who had fallen as others stood around helplessly watching has been captured on video.



Christopher Knafelc, 32, was sitting several yards away at a North Philadelphia subway station on Thursday afternoon when he saw what appeared to be a man tumble off the platform.

'Out of the corner of my eye I saw a body fall,' Mr Knafelc told Philly.com.

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Shocking sight: Christopher Knafelc, 32, was sitting on a bench, far left, at the North Philadelphia subway station on Thursday when he saw a man walk straight off the platform several yards away, right

Rescue: Without a moment's hesitation Mr Knafelc hurried to the platform's edge and jumped down after the man as a crowd began to gather above

Aware: The 32-year-old estimated having five to 10 minutes before the next train came but also was able to alert someone to stop all oncoming traffic

Of all the people standing around, some just feet away, Mr Knafelc was the only one to not only rush to his aid, but immediately jump down beside him - a man he didn't know.

'I jumped down. He was in pain. He was in agony,' Mr Knafelc said.

'I knew I had about five to 10 minutes until another train,' he said. 'I told the guy in the booth to suspend southbound trains. I already had a plan in mind if a train came to roll underneath.'

As they waited for rescue crews to arrive, with the train traffic securely halted around them, he says he tried to keep the man's head and neck stable in the meantime.



'I kept him talking. I said are you all right? What hurts? He didn't thank me but I know he was thankful,' he told CBS Philadelphia.

Septa police Chief Tom Nestel immediately called Mr Knafelc a hero.

Under control: Mr Knafelc, seen standing on the tracks, says he tried his best to keep the older man's head and neck straight and to keep him talking until rescue crews arrived

Hero: Septa police Chief Tom Nestel called Mr Knafelc a hero after he braved live tracks for a man he didn't even know, a man seen here walking around with a slice of pizza above them

'The line is energized which means there's an awful lot of electricity running through that track area and a passenger who doesn't even know that person that fell immediately runs and jumps onto the tracks to save that person. He's a hero,' he told CBS.



It's still unclear why the man fell onto tracks.



In the video surveillance he's seen almost absentmindedly walking straight off the platform.



He was hospitalized complaining of pain but said to have not been seriously injured.

Mr Knafelc says he was just in the right place at the right time.

Timing: Mr Knafelc just says he was in the right place at the right time and would absolutely do it again

He was returning from a visit at nearby Temple University, placing him on the southbound subway bench at 12.44pm - exactly where he needed to be.



'I plan on going back to school in the future,' he told Philly.com of his trip.



As for the daring rescue, he readily says he'd do it again.

