Bodycam footage: Hudson Valley police officer pulls driver from burning car
A dramatic rescue was caught on camera in the Town of Chester. It involves a car that rolled over and a woman trapped inside.
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A dramatic rescue was caught on camera in the Town of Chester. It involved a car that rolled over and a woman trapped inside.
"When it comes to situations like that, it's seconds that matter," says Sgt. Norman Vitale, with the Town of Chester Police Department.
It happened around 4 a.m. Sunday on Kings Highway, near Knapp’s View Park in Chester.
Police got a report of a crash involving a rolled-over car. Then, they heard the driver was trapped inside and, the car was on fire.
Police say Officer Nicholas Contino was the first police officer on scene.
Officials say Contino ran into action, giving his fire extinguisher to a passing motorist as he tried to get to the driver.
Then, his bodycam footage shows him break the sunroof glass and pull the driver out.
With the help of the officer, two passing motorists and a paramedic, the woman inside was taken away from the fiery crash and eventually to Westchester Medical Center.
That's where she is being treated.
She suffered burns to about a third of her body, according to police. At last check, she was in stable condition
Police say she is a 68-year-old from Warwick.
Chester residents are sending their thoughts her way and also, praising the officer for getting her out of the burning car.
"He's out there doing great work and actually saving a life," says Sgt. Vitale.
