It was just before 2 a.m., and Illinois Department of Transportation minuteman Steve Newcomb was driving his tow truck along the Kennedy Expressway, a few hours into his shift patrolling the area’s highways. During his five years in this role, the Plainfield resident has helped motorists with all manner of breakdowns and mishaps. On this particular morning in March of this year, he spotted a car with its hood in flames under the overpass at Addison Street. His first instinct was to push the car out of the way so the fire wouldn’t damage the structure. “If it gets too hot, the beams get compromised or the electric can burn up,” he explains.

But as he nosed toward the car, he noticed people inside. “I hop out and look, and the girl is just screaming: ‘Please help me! I can’t move!’ ” That was the driver, who had sustained broken bones. A second woman lay unconscious in the passenger seat as the interior filled with smoke. Newcomb yanked open the door, scooped the women out one at a time, and carried them to the shoulder of the highway. He then returned to his truck to push the car clear of the overpass. Firefighters, who’d just arrived, doused the flames. Paramedics rushed the women to the hospital; both made a full recovery.

Unbeknownst to Newcomb, a WGN photojournalist was driving to work when he saw the rescue mission playing out. He pulled over and captured video, which meant Newcomb was all over the news within hours. The White Sox invited him to their home opener, and he still occasionally gets recognized. “I was at the hot dog stand across from work. This guy’s looking at me: ‘You’re that guy.’ I’m like, ‘What guy?’ He goes, ‘You saved those girls, right? I gotta buy your lunch, man.’ ”

He feels a little funny about all the praise. “Everybody helps people, you know?” It’s what drew him to his current role after 18 years working maintenance for IDOT. “I cut grass, it grew back. I plowed snow, it snowed again. This job I actually see results. You’re stranded on your way to work, I change your tire, it helps your entire day.” And on one March morning, he did much more.