Police officers in Wilton, Connecticut saved a man who was trapped in a burning car and the entire rescue was captured by a cruiser dashboard camera.
Officers responded after receiving a call around p.m. Wednesday that a vehicle veered off of New Canaan Road and struck some trees before bursting into flames, according to The Hour.
Sgt. David Hartman and Sgt. Gregg Phillipson were stationed at a DUI checkpoint nearby and were able to respond to the scene within minutes.
When they arrived, the vehicle was engulfed in flames that were continuing to grow stronger. Hunter Stanfield, 26, was trapped in the front seat of the vehicle by the collapsed hood of the car.
Attempts to open the front doors of the vehicle proved unsuccessful, so the officers opened the back hatch and rear doors in order to free the driver. Once inside, they struggled, but were soon joined by four other officers.
Stanfield was still trapped in the seat as the fire quickly spread from the engine to the cabin. Responding firefighters fought to keep the fire at bay as the officers combined efforts to extricate Stanfield.
Just as the fire began to run into the car's cabin, the officers were able to pry the man free from the driver's seat.
As first aid was rendered to Stanfield, the entire vehicle burst into flames.
"They saved his life, there’s no question about that," Capt. John Lynch told the newspaper. "It was a very intense, emotionally draining experience, but the end result compensates for that."
Stanfield was transported to Norwalk Hospital with minor cuts, but no physical burns.
