PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI – Of all the thoughts running through Michael "Austin" Reep's head as he pulled a driver out a burning Jeep just moments before it became engulfed in flames, one thing was clear: He wasn't going to let the man die.

Or, at the very least, he wasn't going to turn his back on the fiery scene before doing everything he could to help.

"There was no turning back at that point," Reep said this week, recalling how he sprung into action after spotting the car in flames off U.S. 131 in Plainfield Township. "I'm not going to run away and let someone die as I was watching."

The Cornerstone University student said he doesn't see himself as a hero after pulling a 31-year-old Kent County man from the crash about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, off southbound U.S. 131, just north of Post Drive. He said he thought it was his duty to help the sole occupant in the 2007 Jeep that had crashed into a tree and rolled onto its passenger side.

Michael Reep, a 21-year-old Cornerstone University student who pulled a driver from a burning car along U.S. 131 in Plainfield Township on Sunday, Dec. 21, is pictured in a provided photo.

Sipping on chocolate milk as he drove home to Grand Rapids after an evening spent with friends in Rockford, Reep first noticed another car had stopped near the crash with its flashers on, but it soon continued down the highway. A woman standing outside was calling 911. Reep jumped out his car and screamed to ask the woman if anyone was inside the Jeep.

She replied that she didn't know. Common sense told Reep that someone had to be in the car if no one had been spotted crawling out. He bolted toward the vehicle. The flames from the burning engine compartment caused Reep to pause briefly and ask himself how the situation was going to play out.

"I put my hands on my head, I felt my cross necklace and I was like, 'OK, go be bold. Go do what you were put here to do,'" Reep said.

Positioning himself with the roof of the overturned Jeep closest to his body, Reep jumped on top, snapping a tree branch out of the way. He was close enough to feel the heat from the flames on his face, but the fire, which later produced estimated 40-foot flames, wasn't huge at first.

The driver told Reep he was trapped.

Reep pulled the man halfway out, then slid off the car and continued to pull with the man grabbing onto him.

"At that point I was like, 'Alright, it’s getting hotter.' You get to the point where this is life or death. This is not a game,'" Reep said.

Exhausted from dragging the man away from the Jeep, they stopped briefly. The man laid down on the grassy hill, but Reep urged, 'We have to keep going. We have to get away from this car,'" he said.

As soon as they stepped on the pavement, Reep said they heard a noise similar to the sound of a pressure washer. Then driver's side tire burst and the car was engulfed in flames. Low-hanging branches caught fire.

The driver was treated at the scene for minor injuries and was arrested for suspected drunken driving, police said. He is expected to be arraigned this week.

Trooper Matt Williams said he's never seen a vehicle fire as large. The car burned so badly that it's difficult for investigators to determine why the driver crashed, aside from alcohol being a factor, he said. The Jeep swerved back and forth on the highway before narrowly missing the guard rail and crashing into the trees.

Williams said Reep "deserves all the credit in the world" for putting himself at risk as he dodged flames to help someone else.

"That takes a special kind of person," Williams said.

He nominated Reep for the Michigan State Police Distinguished Citizen Award, which recognizes people who help others in ways that aren't typically expected of them.

When the adrenaline faded a bit, Reep said he grew a little frustrated. He counted about 15 cars that passed the crash scene and only one driver stopped to ask if they needed help.

Reep doesn't hold a grudge against those who didn't stop, recognizing that not everyone is built to physically pull another person from a car. But he wondered what would've happened if there had been another occupant in the vehicle. He likely wouldn't have had enough time to make a second rescue.

"As soon as I got there, I was there to stay," he said. "I never doubted myself once I was there."

Reep, a junior pursuing a degree in biblical studies and business, is thankful he was at the right place at the right time to help. He's originally from Texas and took a break from Cornerstone this year to live at home. He came back to Grand Rapids last month.

"God put me there for a reason," he said. "It's not something that makes me prideful or boastful in any way. I think it comes a lot from the way I was raised."

Angie Jackson covers public safety and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her at ajackso3@mlive.com, and follow her on Twitter.