Police in New Jersey shared the heart-pounding bodycam footage.
A call to police in New Jersey about a strange noise coming from a parked car on a residential street ended with a lifesaving rescue.
The Roselle Park Police have released heart-pounding bodycam footage from the scene, which unfolded Saturday.
Police arrived after the initial caller reported the vehicle was possibly occupied. A subsequent 911 call reported the vehicle was on fire, according to a police statement.
As the Roselle Fire Department made their way there, Patrolmen Robert Harms, Michael Smith, Jeffery Smith and Avsar Patel responded to the location and found the vehicle’s engine compartment engulfed in flames.
Cops said the car's dark tinted windows made visibility inside the vehicle impossible.
When Ptl. Harms broke the passenger side window, he saw a silhouette of a head in the driver’s seat.
With the help of firefighters, Ptl. Harms opened the driver’s side door and began to physically remove a man, who was slumped over the steering wheel.
The unidentified man first refused to get out of the burning car, cops said. He initially appeared disoriented but, once outside, became alert and could speak.
Cops said he did not suffer any visible serious injuries, but was transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
Preliminary information indicates the driver has been previously observed sleeping inside of the running vehicle and may have pressed on the gas pedal for an extended period of time causing the engine to overheat and eventually catch fire, police said in a statement.
“I would like to commend and thank the alert citizen for first reporting the incident before the fire actually began," Police Chief Paul W. Morrison said in a statement. "Ptl. Robert Harms, Dep. Chief Steven Thompson and the other officers put themselves at great risk of injury to save this man’s life.
"The heroic efforts of all involved played an instrumental part in the positive outcome of this incident."
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