FULLERTON, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) – An astonishing rescue was captured on a police body camera, showcasing the teamwork between a local good Samaritan and a police officer as they saved a driver from a fiery car. The incident unfolded last Wednesday in Fullerton.
The footage reveals 21-year-old Ricardo Vasquez, clad in a brownish-orange shirt and shorts, wielding a hammer as he rushes to assist. “I didn’t hesitate,” Vasquez recounted. “The hammer was the sturdiest tool I had.”
Vasquez, who works in construction, used the hammer to smash the windows and gain access to the burning SUV. “It was pretty frightening,” he admitted. “I kept thinking, ‘I hope it doesn’t explode.'”
Authorities report that the driver experienced a medical emergency, crashing into a parked car just outside Vasquez’s home on Valencia Drive. “The tire pieces were scorching hot; they were bouncing off me. It singed a bit as I opened the door and worked to free him,” Vasquez described.
As Vasquez and the officer successfully extracted the driver, neighbor Jorge Jimeno sprang into action with a garden hose to douse the flames. “The fire was closing in, so I used the water to keep it at bay,” Jimeno recalled.
The driver was alert and communicative after being rescued. “If I hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself,” Jimeno noted.
Neighbors are unanimous in their belief that the quick thinking and bravery of those involved were crucial in saving the driver’s life. “I acted on instinct to help save him rather than watch him perish. I had to do something,” Vasquez explained.
Vasquez reported only minor injuries, such as a blister on his leg, and expressed his hope for the driver’s recovery.
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