Heroes that thwarted terror attack on Paris-bound train author book

Byby Melanie Woodrow KGO logo
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Heroes that thwarted terror attack on Paris-bound train author book
This August marks one year since three Sacramento area men thwarted a terror attack on a Paris bound train. ABC7 News Reporter Melanie Woodrow sat down with one of the men today to talk about that anniversary, the latest terror attacks and a soon to be released book.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- This August marks one year since three Sacramento area men thwarted a terror attack on a Paris bound train.

ABC7 News Reporter Melanie Woodrow sat down with one of the men Tuesday to talk about that anniversary, the latest terror attacks and a soon to be released book.

Anthony Sadler recently celebrated his 24th birthday. "For the most part I live a normal life," he said.

RELATED: American train heroes praised for their courage

If you call being invited to the United States Embassy in Paris a normal life. "It was kind of like a reunion," Sadler said.

A reunion ahead of the one year anniversary that Sadler and his pals Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone thwarted a terror attack on a Paris bound train. The trio disarmed a gunman.

"You can literally just walk on these trains with anything without going through security," Sadler said.

Monday on a train in Germany a 17-year-old injured five people wielding an axe and knife. Police shot and killed the teen.

Sadler said he had just left France prior to a terrorist mowing down people celebrating Bastille Day last week in Nice. Eighty-four people died, including University of California, Berkeley student Nicolas Leslie.

RELATED: Inside the attack on Paris-bound train

"Just crazy that it just keeps happening to random people," Sadler said.

Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone have now co-authored a soon-to-be released book, along with writer Jeffrey Stern.

"It's called, 'The 15:17 to Paris,'"

The book documents their journey before, during and after that fateful day on August 21.

"We all enter the story at different times so you see it from different ways," Sadler said. "We were each trying to correct each other's sections like, no this didn't happen like that, or this didn't happen like that."

Sadler says some studios have even expressed interest in turning the book into a movie. He and his friends sent an autographed copy to Clint Eastwood hoping he'll direct.

RELATED: 3 Sacramento men speak about role in stopping terror attack

As for who will play Sadler on the big screen? "I told everybody Will Smith, but he's kind of old now so he'll probably decline, but Michael B. Jordan, he's a good young actor so I wouldn't mind if he played me either," Sadler said.

Maybe even before Sadler turns 25.