PELHAM, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama college student whose car broke down just before his first day of work made the 20-mile journey on foot, a feat that earned him fame — and a new car.

News outlets report that hours before his first day working for Bellhops movers, Walter Carr, a New Orleans native, set out from Homewood at midnight, making it to Pelham by 4 a.m. Friday. There, he encountered Pelham police officers, who took him to breakfast and dropped him at his assignment.