New Jersey state troopers helped pull an unconscious man from his burning vehicle just seconds before it became fully engulfed.
The incident occurred at around 11:23 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, when troopers Christopher Warwick and Thomas O’Connor, who were in the area, responded to a call of a vehicle fire.
They came upon a Ford Fusion that was up against the median barrier on State Highway 42 in Gloucester Township, NJ.
There was a fire in the front wheel well, with smoke filling the car’s cabin.
The driver, 53-year-old Anthony Branca, was unconscious with his foot down on the accelerator.
“Get out of the car. Your car’s on fire bro!” the troopers repeatedly yelled at Branca as the fire began to spread.
“We attempted to open the driver’s door and you can only open it six inches at best; it hit the guardrail and there’s no moving the vehicle,” Warwick said.
“When we started tugging, we gave him some pretty hard tugs, he wasn’t moving at all right away,” said O’Connor.
Eventually, after struggling to free the unconscious Branca, they were able to pull him to safety through the driver’s side window, just moments before the car became fully engulfed.
“You just don’t think,” O’Connor said. “You just go in and you’re focused on trying to save somebody’s life,” O’Connor told ABC News.
Branca regained consciousness shortly after being dragged from the vehicle.
The driver didn’t suffer any injuries in the crash and was evaluated by EMS. He declined any further medical attention police said.