Bodycam: Calif. Police Officer Pulls Unresponsive Driver as Flames Engulf Car

Bodycam footage shows a Davis police corporal shatter a window and pull an unresponsive driver from a burning vehicle moments before it was consumed by flames.

Source Officer.com News

Joe Vince

Nov. 11, 2026

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A Davis police corporal smashed a car window and rescued an unresponsive driver from a vehicle engulfed in flames after a crash.
Body camera footage shows Cpl. Pheng Ly reaching the burning car, breaking the window, waking the driver and pulling him to safety before the vehicle was consumed by fire.
The driver was later arrested on suspicion of DUI, and police said it was the second time Ly has rescued someone from a burning vehicle.

Body camera footage shows a Davis police corporal grabbing the door handle of a car that is being consumed by flames following a highway crash — A Davis police corporal might have saved a driver's life after shattering a window and pulling the unresponsive man from a burning vehicle following a crash.

A California police officer shattered a window to pull an unresponsive driver from a burning car before it was consumed by flames following a collision last week.

Davis Police Cpl. Pheng Ly responded to the crash just before 1:40 a.m. Nov. 1, and the call reported one of the vehicles in the incident was smoking, the department stated in a social media post, which included Ly's body camera footage. But when Ly reached the scene, flames had engulfed the car's engine compartment.

Running toward the vehicle, Ly shattered the driver's window with a tool to reach the unresponsive driver. He then unlocked the car and was able to wake the man before pulling him to safety.

The California Highway Patrol investigated the crash, and the driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

"The Davis Police Department would like to commend Corporal Ly for his quick and decisive efforts that may have ended up saving this driver's life," the department stated. "This event marks the second time Corporal Ly has pulled someone from a burning vehicle, and we would like showcase this example by sharing this clip of his body worn camera footage."

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.