A supermarket manager in Puebla, Mexico, is being celebrated as a local hero after he saved a toddler from being struck by a speeding car in a dramatic rescue caught on video. The manager, Luis Cruz, was working on his day off on Sunday, filling in for five no-show employees, when his store nearly became the site of a tragedy.

Security camera footage shows Mr. Cruz, 34, moving a pallet of toilet paper when the toddler runs toward a busy six-lane thoroughfare. The mother sprints after her daughter but slips and falls. Mr. Cruz quickens his pace, snatches the toddler, and dives sideways to roll her out of harm's way.

Mr. Cruz, who has four children, said it was a father's instinct to protect. He injured his knee during the rescue but kept working. On Monday, the supermarket gave him a manager of the year award and a ceremonial check for 20,000 pesos (around $1,200).

The footage went viral, and Mr. Cruz has since met with the governor and received invitations for free meals. He plans to invest the award money in his blinds business. "I mean, really, who wouldn't want to be called a hero?" he said.