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Teen involved in fiery crash in Holtsville reunited with officers who saved his life

Kervens Lesperance, 19, was driving a Jeep Cherokee on Nicholls Road in Holtsville on Nov. 24 when he struck an overpass, overturned and caught fire.

Julia Rosier

Mar 4, 2026, 5:31 PM

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The teen involved in a fiery crash in Holtsville in November was reunited Wednesday with the officers who saved his life.

Police body camera video from the Suffolk police officers involved shows the intense moments they raced to the burning car and saved the life of Kervens Lesperance, 19, of Patchogue.

"I don't remember that whole day. I had to be reminded of where I was at," says Lesperance.

Lesperance was driving a Jeep Cherokee on Nicholls Road in Holtsville on Nov. 24 when he struck an overpass, overturned and caught fire.

On Wednesday, Lesperance was reunited for the first time with the officers who saved his life: Highway Patrol Officers Craig Capobianco and Robert Rosciano, Canine Officers Michael Renna and Robert Stroehlein and Sixth Precinct Officer Joseph Nofi.

Lesperance says he's so grateful for everything they've done to help him.

"I'm just really glad that there's officers that would really go out and do their very best for people like me," says Lesperance.

"I think it's instances like this that are a sole reminder of why we get up everyday and put this uniform on," says Capobianco.

Officer Capobianco saw the car engulfed in flames when got to the scene. He saw two civilians attempting to pull Lesperance out.

When officer Capobianco tried to pull the teen out himself, he slipped between an embankment and vehicle on fire.

"Kervens was on top of me, the officers were having a difficult time getting their footing trying to pull him off of me," he says.

But he says there wasn't a second to waste.

"You don't have time to think because seconds can obviously be the difference between life and death out there," says Capobianco.

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