Police in Wisconsin are being hailed as heroes after pulling an 84-year-old man to safety when the minivan he drove burst into flames this week.
According to the Kenosha Police Department, the rescue took place just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday along Sheridan Road, a major north-south street leading from Diversey Parkway in Chicago north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border.
Police dash cam video released by the department shows a minivan driving with a flat tire with sparks coming from the wheel.
Officers saw the bright sparks coming from the van and tried to stop the vehicle, police said, but the driver kept going and the minivan soon erupted in flames.
Footage shows the van coming to a stop as it is engulfed in flames.
Officers are then seen running toward the vehicle and pulling the man to safety.
No one else was in the vehicle.
“The minivan stopped and with selfless public service KPD officers ran towards the flames and pulled the driver to safety,” the department wrote on Facebook.
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No one was seriously injured, Police Lieutenant Joseph Nosalik told USA TODAY Thursday.
“The man sustained some minor burns that did not require hospitalization,” Nosalik said, adding some of the responding officers had some singed hair and suffered “very minor burns.”
Leaking gasoline
The sparks ignited what police believe to be gasoline leaking from the van, Nosalik said.
“This could have been so much worse,” Nosalik said, adding the van could have exploded with the victim inside.
“The man was not intoxicated, nor did he exhibit any overt signs of diminished mental capacity; however, his decisions are questionable and we did refer him to the (Wisconsin) Department of Motor Vehicles for a re-evaluation on his driving abilities,” Nosalik said. “He just wanted to make it home.”
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‘You ARE heroes’
The officers reaction drew praise from members of the community.
“Thank you officers for saving this man’s life,” Facebook user Dawn Lee posted. “You ARE heroes.”
Sherry Jay, another user wrote, “Commendations to the officer! Oh, and it’s not just old people that get in to these situations!”
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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