A 68-year-old woman was rescued from a burning vehicle after it crashed on a Chester, New York, highway. This dramatic car wreck rescue around 4 AM on Sunday, June 8, was all caught on video, according to WABC.
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Video Shows Woman Rescued From Burning Car Wreck
A group of emergency responders rushed to the scene after receiving a report of a rolled-over vehicle that crashed on Kings Highway near Knapps View Park. The car had caught on fire, and a 68-year-old female resident of Warwick was trapped inside.
Officer Nicholas Contino of the Town of Chester Police Department captured bodycam footage of the heroic rescue. The police department shared the wild video on Facebook. Alongside Contino, a passing motorist used a fire extinguisher to get rid of the inferno. There were also bystanders and a paramedic backing them up.
The officer managed to break the sunroof glass, pulling her free from the rolled-over vehicle. Everyone around the officer helped pull her away from the dangerous burning car wreck. During the rescue, the officer also cut his hand.
WABC spoke with a witness who watched the vehicle burst into flames as he was driving by. Nathan Felix was the bystander who helped extinguish the flames. “The way I heard that lady screaming, it felt like it was my mom or my aunt. It hurt my heart,” said Felix.
Felix, a rapper who goes by Yungrolls, was shocked at how much he crashed after his adrenaline rush from the rescue. “The relief I felt was ridiculous because at that point I’m gassed, I didn’t even realize how gassed I was,” he said.
Officer And Motorist Praised For Rescuing Victim
After the accident, the female victim suffered burns to about a third of her body. They transferred her to Westchester Medical Center’s Burn Unit. The 68-year-old woman is now in stable condition.
“Officer Contino’s effort greatly increased the motorist’s chances for survival and he is commended for a job well done,” said the police department on its Facebook post.
The outlet also notes two key factors in the victim’s survival after a quick emergency response. One was that she immediately called 911 to report her accident. Luckily, her location was less than a mile from emergency services.
The community has highly praised both the officer and Felix for their efforts in the rescue. “To jump out of his car to assess and legitimately put his life in jeopardy to put the fire out or to help us remove her from the vehicle, he did an amazing job,” complimented paramedic Carl Vasquez.
Now in recovery, the victim has thanked Felix. “She said thank you, thank you for all you guys helping us and I don’t know it was a crazy moment,” said the rapper.