Homeless Army veteran pulls Florida man from burning vehicle By FOX 35 News Staff Published article PENSACOLA, Fla. - A homeless Army veteran is being called a hero for pulling a man to safety when his car caught fire after a head-on crash in Florida’s Panhandle. Freddie Finkley, 56, was standing near an intersection with his girlfriend Stephanie Tidwell on April 7 when they witnessed the crash on an I-10 overpass near Pensacola. Finkley told the Pensacola News Journal he pulled Eric Lopez, 34, from the vehicle as flames were coming through the dashboard. "Anybody that helps out another person — especially in this case where it could have or did save a life — we certainly appreciate that," Pensacola Police Department spokesman Officer Mike Wood told the newspaper. "It’s not very often that people want to get involved anymore, but he did."