A single father of two who punctured the tire of a mugger who fled the Garden State Plaza last night, leading to a police capture and arrest, said he was simply doing the right thing.

You just can't let things go by and not get involved,” said Pete Solla, a New York City sanitation worker who once rescued several people from a burning building.

"I was shopping at the mall for my son's 7th birthday today. I was getting him a Legos motorcycle,” Solla told CLIFFVIEW PILOT early this afternoon. “As I was pulling out of the mall, I noticed something strange going on behind this car. Then I heard the lady scream.”

Solla said he tailed the mugger in his car as he ran up a parking deck ramp.

“You’re crazy!” a friend who was with him said.

“The mall was crowded and another car came the other way and blocked me,” the 31-year-old hero told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “So I got out and started chasing him," leaving his friend in the car.

The mugger quickly got into an SUV and started backing towards him, Solla said. He said he memorized the plate number, then pulled a pocket knife from his pocket and punctured the tire as he jumped out of the way.

The SUV sped off, hitting three vehicles, Paramus Police Chief Christopher Brock said (SEE: Good Samaritan helps police chase down mugger ).

“It was like in slow motion,” Solla said. “But in real time it was seconds.”

He rushed back to the victim and stayed with her until Paramus police arrived.

“I gave them as much information as I could on the description of the vehicle and what to look for,” Solla said. READ MORE ....