Sunday, March 1, 2026

Guardsman averts tragedy, pushes burning vehicle away from gas pumps

The identity of a National Guardsman who prevented a potentially large explosion at a gas station in Tlaxcala on Wednesday may be unknown, but that hasn’t prevented him from becoming a social media star.

The man, whose action the guard publicized with a video on its Twitter page Thursday but did not name, has received hundreds of congratulations and good wishes from social media users after he used his patrol car to push a burning truck away from the station’s gas pumps.

The guardsman had responded to an emergency call about the truck being in flames. After he pushed it out of the way, other emergency personnel arrived to put the fire out. There were no injuries.

Guard officials praised the officer for “not worrying about the risk and avoiding a major incident.”

“These actions reinforce our conviction to protect the public at all times.”

Social media users responded enthusiastically to the man’s actions, with commenters calling him brave, saying he deserved a medal, and thanking him for his service to Mexico. Some called upon the guard to identify him so he could be publicly recognized.

One user commented, “That is the true call to service, and he ennobles the institution. Congratulations to that [guardsman].”

Sources: El Universal (sp), TV Azteca Noticias (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
newspapers with El Mencho's face on the front page

Mexico’s week in review: The fall of El Mencho

6
Mexico's most wanted criminal is dead, his cartel is leaderless and the race to replace him has already begun — here's your guide to the week that changed Mexico's security landscape.
Mexican marines inspect a burned car in Puerto Vallarta

In the wake of another fallen cartel leader, 10 reasons why this time could be different: A perspective from our CEO

22
After the fall of a major cartel leader, conventional wisdom predicts more violence. Mexico News Daily's CEO makes the case for why this time could genuinely be different.
The Mexico City skyline with a skyscraper in the foreground

Mexico’s economic growth outlook improves as Banxico, OECD lift forecasts

1
Mexico's central bank and one of the world's leading economic organizations raised their 2026 GDP growth forecast to 1.6% and 1.4% respectively, offering cautious optimism after Mexico's sluggish 2025 performance
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity