'Supertramp' hailed as a hero

Published on Tuesday 19 February 2008 21:09

NEW York vagrant Andrew Nash has been dubbed "Supertramp" after he dashed into a blazing building to rescue a young family trapped by the flames.

Mr Nash, 45, was staggering along the street at 8am, having bought two cans of beer from a local shop, when he spotted the blazing flat in Brooklyn.

A young mother, Sheohna Taylor, almost overcome by smoke, was dangling her 14-month-old son out of the window to save him from the fumes.

Mr Nash, whose home is a nearby park bench, raced up to the apartment to find the hallway thick with smoke. Having no water, he poured beer on a rag and covered his face, and then charged into the flat and began dragging the family to safety.

"I wasn't even worried about my own life; I just reacted," said Mr Nash. "I am the Guardian Angel of the building."

New Yorkers feel the same way. Headlines such as "Supertramp" have celebrated his heroism and the New York Post carried a cartoon showing Superman and other action heroes lining up by Mr Nash's cardboard box sleeping quarters to get his autograph.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to give Nash a bravery award – and may also throw in a night at a luxury hotel.