Dramatic video captures the moment a New Jersey police officer rescued a driver trapped in a huge fireball after crashing into the back of a tanker truck.
Heart-stopping bodycam footage shows Officer Noah Allat pull driver Peter Della-Ventura, 44, unconscious from the blazing wreckage on westbound Route 22 in Bridgewater around 2 a.m. Wednesday, Patch.com reported.
Della-Ventura was trying to merge his Hyundai Elantra Della-Ventura into the right lane when he crashed into the back of a 2007 Freightliner tanker truck, according to police.
The impact was so strong the two vehicles fused together and continued down the westbound lane for nearly 700 feet in a terrifying ball of fire, the outlet said.
Once stopped on the shoulder, the tanker truck’s driver, Zachary Roslin, was able to escape, as was a 26-year-old passenger in Della-Ventura’s car.
The video captures the cop asking Roslin what was in his truck.
“Nothing; it’s empty right now, but there was a diesel kerosene mix in it last night,” Roslin replied.
“Can I go up to it?” Allat asks, before running toward the burning car.
Seeing Della-Ventura trapped and unconscious, Allat runs around to the driver’s side and pulls him to safety.
The rescued driver and his passenger, Moosade Harris, are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Officer Noah Allatt “demonstrated the epitome of strength, resolve, and courage when he rescued an unconscious driver from his burning vehicle,” Bridgewater Township Government said on Facebook.
“Please join us in thanking Officer Allat for his incredibly courageous actions. Well done, sir.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and no charges have been filed so far, officials said.