The Hero of Times Square

He seems publicity shy, but let's give some props to Vietnam veteran Lance Orton for doing the right thing lat night.

About 12 hours had passed since a T-shirt vendor in Times Square had alerted police to a suspicious S.U.V. that was packed with a bomb. But by 7 a.m. Sunday, with the S.U.V. towed away and the streets safe and reopened, the vendor was tired, cranky and reluctant to say much about his feat.

“I’m fed up,” said the vendor, who declined to give his name as he headed toward a taxicab in Times Square around 7 a.m. “We’ve been up since 6 a.m. of yesterday morning.”

The vendor, who was swarmed by television cameras, wore a name tag around his neck that identified him as Lance Orton. A law enforcement official confirmed that his first name was Lance.

The vendor had seen smoke billowing from the rear of the S.U.V., which was parked awkwardly near the curb and was running, shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Within moments, the vendor alerted a mounted police officer; the officer smelled gunpowder near the car and an evacuation of Times Square was ordered.

Around 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, the vendor and several others he worked with collected the T-shirts and tables they had abandoned on 45th Street and Broadway when Times Square was first evacuated. After collecting his belongings, the vendor walked down 45th Street in search of a taxicab to take him home.

“I’m not going to say nothing, I’m not going to say nothing,” he said when first approached by a gaggle of reporters.

As he walked down the street, employees from Junior’s restaurant stood outside applauding him. He briefly entered the restaurant before heading toward 44th Street.

He walked with a limp, had a cane, wore a white fedora and had a hoop earring in his right ear.

When asked if he was proud of his actions, he said: “Of course, man. I’m a veteran. What do you think?”