Police officers in New Jersey were seen on bodycam and dashcam video pulling a man from a burning car in a dramatic roadside rescue — and a piece of technology may have helped save the man’s life.
Naushad Islam is feeling extra grateful this Thanksgiving, now that his son Safwan is home recovering weeks after he was pulled from a fiery car wreck along Route 27 in South Brunswick.
“He’s doing well, he’s talking. When he was in the hospital, we weren’t sure how he was doing. It was really, really bad,” Islam said.
Newly released police bodycam video showed officers breaking through the driver’s side window to reach the unconscious driver before dragging him away as flames engulfed the car.
The 26-year-old behind the wheel injured his back and neck, and spent a week in the hospital as a result. After undergoing surgery, he was back home recovering Tuesday.
“He’s doing much better. I would say that compared to what he went through, it’s nothing but divine intervention,” said Islam.
Police in South Brunswick said it was the driver’s cellphone that pinged 911, alerting officers to his location. They say had first responders not arrived as quickly, the story would’ve had a much different ending.
“This is a miracle by every aspect of the word miracle. And the officers’ actions are heroic,” police said. “As you can see in the video, it’s pretty dramatic, how the flames are leaping at their feet as they’re pulling him out. Within seconds that scene turns … to a fully engulfed care fire. This is a miracle — a Thanksgiving miracle, I call it.”
The driver’s family has been overcome with emotion. His father wrote the two hero officers a letter thanking them for saving his son.
“I couldn’t say anything other than thank you. What else I can say,” said Islam “For them, it’s probably the work they do every day to save everybody’s life. But for me, it’s getting back my son to my family, so I can’t thank them enough.”
The crash is being investigated by police in neighboring Franklin Township. There was no word on what caused the accident.
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