NYS troopers recall heroic rescue that saved couple from burning RV
Trooper Gregory Langtry and Scott Westfall were first on the scene on I-87 last week in the Town of Catskill.
Two New York State troopers are speaking exclusively to News 12 about their quick-thinking actions that saved a trapped couple in their 80s and their two cats from a burning motor home.
Trooper Gregory Langtry and Scott Westfall were first on the scene on I-87 last week in the Town of Catskill.
“The driver yelled to me he couldn’t open the door because he parked too close to the guiderail,” says Langtry. “I ended up breaking the window on the door and had to reach through the window that we broke to pull them out.”
The troopers saw the trapped husband and wife, Raymond Hanas, 82, and Patricia Grabley, 81, who are from Lake George, inside the burning recreational vehicle last Thursday with their pets and used a baton to break the glass to pull them to safety.
“It was fully engulfed. Even walking up to the mobile home, it was bad, making us cough, and there was smoke billowing out from the inside of the RV. We were concerned with how much time we had,” said Westfall.
The rescuers say the RV wouldn’t start during the fire, which is believed to have been caused by a mechanical failure. They say the couple's two cats were inside cat carriers and were saved.
On-duty Amtrak detective Scott DiBisceglio also helped in the rescue efforts after he saw the emergency while driving by.
Police say the couple were driving southbound and were headed to Florida when the incident happened. They suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene, according to state police.
