RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J. - Three officers in Bergen County, New Jersey, responded to a middle-of-the-night call unlike any other: a Honda Civic experienced an electrical malfunction and burst into flames on the side of Route 46 in Ridgefield Park just before 2 a.m.
on Saturday, July 2.The officers knew they had to act fast to save the motorist inside. "We knew we were going to get him out one way or another," Patrolman Anthony D'Elia told FOX 5 NY.
One way or another turned into a strategic smashing of the windows and trying to outsmart the smoke and the flames."We did our best to get him out the driver's side, unfortunately, none of the doors would open as hard as we tried.
When we were unsuccessful with that, I ran around to the passenger side to see if I could get him out that way," Patrolman Nicholas D'Alto said. "Fortunately, I was able to grab two hands and get a good portion of his body through that window."The officers reasoned they had about five minutes before this went from an insane rescue to something much more serious.