Video: N.J. Police Make Dramatic Rescue of Unconscious Driver Seconds Before Flames Engulf Car

As a smoke poured from a crashed car in Franklin, two South Brunswick used a breaching tool to shatter a window and rescue an unresponsive driver before the car burst into flames.

Nov. 18, 2025

2 min read

What to know

South Brunswick police officers saved an unconscious driver from a car that caught fire following a crash in Franklin on Nov. 9.
The officers used a breaching tool to smash the driver's window, unlock the door and pull the driver out just before the fire engulfed the car.
Firefighters extinguished the flames, and the driver, who was "severely injured," is recovering at a hospital.

By Jeff Goldman

Source nj.com

Two South Brunswick police officers saved a driver’s life by rescuing him moments before his vehicle burst into flames following a crash in a neighboring town last week, officials said.

Officers Thomas Sites and Yash Shroff were the officers closest to Route 27 near Andover Road in Franklin, Somerset County, where the crash took place at 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 9.

When Sites and Shroff arrived, the 26-year-old man was unconscious inside the locked car with smoke pouring out of the front of the vehicle, according to Chief Raymond Hayducka.

Shroff was unable to break the window with his baton. Sites then retrieved a breaching tool from his patrol car as flames began to show from the front of the vehicle.

After first attempting to enter on the passenger’s side, Sites managed to smash the driver’s side window and reached through the broken glass to unlock the door.

The two officers then pulled the driver out of the car as flames neared their feet.

The vehicle was soon fully engulfed in flames.

The man was brought to an area hospital where he is recovering from his injuries. He is in stable condition.

“I have watched the video and it is the definition of heroic,” Hayducka said in a statement. “The driver is severely injured, trapped, and his car is on fire. The fire was quickly spreading and appears to be almost at officer Sites’ feet when they are able to free the driver. It is the split-second actions of these officers that this 26-year old is alive today.”

Fire departments from Little Rocky Hill, Griggstown, and Rocky Hill extinguished the car fire.

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