Actor Danny Trejo is being hailed as a hero after he freed a young boy from an overturned vehicle in California on Wednesday.
Trejo, 75, has over 350 film and television acting credits and is primarily known for his roles in the Machete film series as well as From Dusk till Dawn, Con Air, and Desperado. He is also a restaurateur in the Los Angeles area who owns popular eateries Trejo’s Tacos and Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts.
The Wednesday accident occurred in Los Angeles when a vehicle that had passed through a red light collided with another vehicle, causing it to turn over. Trejo, who had witnessed the accident immediately rushed to the vehicle where he found a young boy strapped into a car seat while his grandmother, the driver, was pinned. Trejo and another bystander worked together to free the boy from his seat and pull him from the wreckage.
“He was panicked,” Trejo said of the child. The boy, who has special needs, formed a bond with Trejo who has experience volunteering with special needs children.
“I said OK we have to use our superpowers,” Trejo recounted. “So he screamed ‘superpowers’ and we started yelling ‘superpowers!'” Trejo shielded the child from the scene as emergency crews worked to free his grandmother. No life-threatening injuries were reported.
Not only is @officialDannyT (Danny Trejo) one of the nicest actors, he’s also a #hero!
He was right behind a crash in Sylmar and pulled a special needs baby out of an overturned car. He distracted the boy until grandma was OK. ♥️ —> https://t.co/tS2Za4bZVZ@ABC7 pic.twitter.com/U9iLzAkHkA
— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) August 8, 2019
Trejo spent much of his young life in and out of prison until he became a drug counselor and boxing coach in his late thirties. He credits getting sober as a turning point in his life. His acting career began at age 41 when he was discovered on the film set for Runaway Train in 1985. He was there as a sobriety coach for another actor who had been struggling with drug use.
“Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else,” Trejo said after the accident on Wednesday. “Everything. And that’s the way I live.”
