Iconic actor Dick Van Dyke was rescued from his burning Jaguar right before the car exploded on a Los Angeles freeway. INSIDE EDITION has the details.
It was a terrifying scene on a Los Angeles freeway as a luxury Jaguar burst into flames, and none other than legendary actor Dick Van Dyke was behind the wheel.
Van Dyke was pulled from the car by passing motorists moments before it became a fire ball.
One of the people who saved Van Dyke caught the whole thing on camera and posted it on YouTube, along with his own narration of what happened. The narrator said, "I noticed a guy slumped over, and I saw flames from under the car, so, I pulled over. Myself and another guy, or two, came and pulled a guy out of the car, and when I came back over by the side of the road, I noticed it was Mr. Dick Van Dyke."
INSIDE EDITION’s Jim Moret spoke to another Good Samaritan Jason Pennington who said, "I grabbed him by the arm and I pulled him out."
Moret asked, "Did he say, 'No, no, no?'"
Jason said, "No, actually. I was afraid he was. I pulled him out and he kind of got to his feet and then that was when he was like, 'I am alright, I am alright.'"
Jason’s wife, Kimberly, saw the whole thing. She said, "The flames grew bigger and I thought, 'Oh my gosh! He has got to get away from that car. He has got to get away from that car.'"
Van Dyke was filmed sitting by the side of the road.
The 87-year-old Van Dyke called his 41-year-old wife Arlene to pick him up. They got married 18 months ago. Arlene tweeted: "He's Fine, thank God!!"
It was a close call for the beloved actor who is best known for his roles in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the iconic Dick Van Dyke show from the 1960s.
Jason and Kimberly say their daughters are huge fans of Van Dyke's. They watch Mary Poppins all the time and love his iconic chimney sweep character named Bert.
Kimberly said, "They said, 'Dad you saved Bert! You are a hero, Dad!'"
It’s not known what caused Van Dyke's car to go up in flames. Reports say the car had been recently serviced.
INSIDE EDITION spoke with Robert Sinclair of the AAA in New York. He said, "There are lots of flammable fluids in the vehicle. Break fluid, transmission fluid, gasoline. You have got hot parts like the engine and the exhaust, if those two were to combine in some way, the vehicle can catch fire."
What little was left of Van Dyke's car was loaded onto the back of a truck and hauled away. Despite Van Dyke’s close call, his humor remained intact. He told TMZ, "I have a nice used car for sale!"
