PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Transit police in Philadelphia are calling a local man a hero for jumping onto subway tracks to help a man who fell off the platform.

Thirty-two-year-old Christopher Knafelc was waiting for a train in north Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon when he saw a man walk off the platform and fall on the tracks. He jumped onto the tracks to help the man, knowing that another train would be arriving in a few minutes.

He held the man's head and neck stable until firefighters arrived. Train traffic was halted.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Police Chief Thomas J. Nestel III says Mr Knafelc is a hero.

Mr Nestel says investigators do not know what caused the man to fall on the tracks. He was taken to a hospital and listed in stable condition.