Super Bowl champion Glenn Cadrez pulls man from fiery crash in California that claimed four lives in tragic accident

Glenn Cadrez, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos, is being called a hero after pulling a man from a burning car following a deadly crash in Temecula, California, on August 23.

The 55-year-old former linebacker said he acted on instinct after watching the accident unfold, but later shared that the tragedy weighed heavily on him when he learned four people had died.

Glenn Cadrez details rescue after I-15 crash in Temecula

Glenn Cadrez said he was driving home from his son’s youth football game on the night of Friday, August 23, in Temecula, California, when a head-on collision happened right in front of him on Interstate 15.

The crash immediately set both cars on fire. Cadrez said he quickly pulled over and ran to help.

He saw flames and smoke filling the vehicle, but inside was a 25-year-old man who was still alive.“By the time I turned around, the car was engulfed in flames,” Cadrez told TMZ Sports. “I mean biggest reddest flames, dark black smoke.”Glenn Cadrez pulled the man out of the wreck before the fire spread further. He said he believed everyone had survived at that moment. But the next day, he learned that four people did not make it out.

“The four deaths — I didn’t even know, and at the time when I was pulling him out, I thought there were no casualties,” Cadrez said. “I thought it was just an injury with him and the other guy.”The California Highway Patrol confirmed that the victims included a 23-year-old woman, a 14-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl, and another person from the second car.Also Read: NFL Schedule: Season Kicks Off September 4 With Must See Games

Glenn Cadrez opens up on emotions after tragedy

Glenn Cadrez admitted that the news hit him hard once he understood the full impact of the accident.

As a father himself, he said the loss of young lives struck close to home.“So it kinda hit a little harder the next day, and I hope he is okay,” Cadrez explained. “I have two kids, so it really kinda hit home for me, and I squeezed my kids a little tighter last night.”Even though many have praised him for his bravery, Cadrez said he does not see himself as a hero. The former linebacker, who played for the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs between 1992 and 2003, said what he did was simply the right thing to do.“It was nothing more than a common decency act,” he said.