Not only does Mayor Bloomberg earn valuable PR points by riding the subway to work — he also saves lives. Sort of. When a rider went berserk on the 4 train yesterday afternoon, a transit cop from the mayor’s entourage promptly took him down. Touchingly, it’s the cop, Frank Zaluk, who credits Bloomberg with saving his life, and not the other way around. You see, Zaluk would have been on the 3 p.m. Staten Island Ferry in October 2003 — the one that crashed into a pier, killing ten — if not for Mike, who needed additional security detail to ride the 4 train to a Yankees game that day.

So there you have it: A New York City mayor becomes a hero just by standing around at the right time.

Related: Giuliani’s Lead Widens [Time]
Mayor Bloomberg Safe As Madman Attacks Transit Cop [NYDN]