Danny Trejo played a real-life action star on Wednesday when he witnessed a two-car crash in Sylmar, California.
One of the vehicles overturned onto its roof and a young special-needs child was trapped inside, strapped into a car seat, according to ABC7.
The “Desperado” and “Sons of Anarchy” actor, usually known for playing bad guys on screen, crawled into the car and tried to release the child, while a woman attempted from the other side and successfully unbuckled the belt. He was then able to pull the child to safety.
The boy’s grandmother was still trapped, however, and while firefighters fought to free her, Trejo distracted the child.
“He was panicked. I said, ‘OK, we have to use our superpowers.’ So he screamed, ‘Superpowers’ and we started yelling, ‘Superpowers,’” said the actor, who is best known for playing the Robert Rodriguez-created character Machete. “I said do this, with the muscles. He said, ‘muscles.’”
“We got kind of a bond. I kept facing him away from the accident,” Trejos added.
The Los Angeles Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the crash but Trejo, 75, said it appeared that the other driver had run a red light.
“Pay attention,” he advised other motorists, adding, “The only thing that saved that little kid was his car seat, honest to God.”
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