New Jersey police department shows 2 of its officers rescuing an unconscious man from a burning car
By: -----
South Brunswick Township, NJ - The South Brunswick Township Police Department released dashcam video of two of its officers pulling an unconscious man from a burning car following a crash. Just as they pulled the man free, flames engulfed the car.
“I have watched the video, and it is the definition of heroic. The driver is severely injured, trapped, and his car is on fire. The fire was quickly spreading and appeared to be almost at Officer Sites' feet when they could free the driver. It is the split-second actions of these officers that this 26-year-old is alive today,” said South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka.
Officer Thomas Sites and Officer Yash Shroff were dispatched to Route 27 for a motor vehicle crash. The Nov. 9 crash was in Franklin Township, but the two South Brunswick officers were the closest officers.
According to the department, the officers arrived within minutes and discovered the 26-year-old male driver unconscious in the driver’s seat. The man was unresponsive, the vehicle's doors were locked, and smoke was pouring out of the front of the vehicle.
Shroff attempted to break the window with his baton without success, so Sites retrieved his “breaching tool” from his patrol car as flames began to show from the front of the vehicle. He then smashed the rear passenger's window, hoping to unlock the door. Sites then smashed the driver’s side window, reached through the broken glass, and unlocked the door.
As Sites opened the driver’s door, flames approached his feet from the undercarriage of the car. The two officers worked together to pull the man from the burning car.
Within seconds of pulling the driver out, flames consumed the front of the car. The officers dragged the heavily injured driver further away from the vehicle to safety. Within minutes, the entire car was fully engulfed in flames.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital transported the driver to the hospital. He continues to recover in the hospital and is listed in stable condition, police said