Off-duty police dispatcher rescues man from burning car

An off-duty police dispatcher raced to save a man trapped in his burning car, and the rescue was caught on camera. The call reporting the incident came in around 7:55 p.m. Sunday for a burning car

News 12 Staff

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Oct 25, 2016, 2:15 AM

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Updated 2,979 days ago

An off-duty police dispatcher raced to save a man trapped in his burning car, and the rescue was caught on camera.

The call reporting the incident came in around 7:55 p.m. Sunday for a burning car in a wooded area off the Long Island Expressway in Holtsville.

Suffolk emergency service section Officer Glen Baillargeon and his partner, Officer William Judge, arrived at the scene to find the car's engine burning and its driver unresponsive.

One of the first people on scene was off-duty police dispatcher Christopher Sabella and two other passersby. Sabella says they were doing everything they could to control the flames.

When the Holtsville Fire Department arrived, members worked to cut off the roof of the car. Minutes later, the driver was pulled to safety and rushed to the hospital.

News 12 is told the driver suffered injuries not considered life-threatening. Police say they believe the driver suffered some sort of medical emergency prior to the fire.

Officials say the emergency service section officers involved also helped in saving the life of another man who had climbed atop the Robert Moses Bridge last Sunday.