Police officer, bystanders rescue women from burning car

<p>Two women are alive thanks to the quick thinking of a North Brunswick police officer and bystanders.</p>

News 12 Staff

Oct 26, 2018, 12:45 AM

Updated 2,273 days ago

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Two women are alive thanks to the quick thinking of a North Brunswick police officer and bystanders.
The moments of the rescue were all captured on Officer Anthony Torres’ body camera Wednesday afternoon when he came upon a car accident while out on patrol.
A group of bystanders were already standing around the car, trying to get the two women out, when the car started to smoke.
“At the moment, I was just kind of in the zone and trying to do whatever I can think of based on my training,” Torres says. “Go get a knife, cut the seatbelt and let’s try to get the female out.”
Torres received help from some bystanders, including Joshua Sandoval, to pull the women from the smoking car just moments before it ignited in flames.
“I just came out of the shed running. I saw what was going on and I saw the car burning,” Sandoval says. “I started running to the trail.”
Torres says that he thanks all of the bystanders for their help.
“I’m just glad everyone stayed there and assisted me because I think without their help this outcome would've never came,” he says.
Sandoval says that helping the officer was a dream of his. He has plans to become a police officer.
“Hopefully someday I can work for North Brunswick. This is just a little taste of how it’s going to be…It would have hurt me to see those people get hurt,” he says.
North Brunswick police say that the women are expected to be OK. One of them remained in the hospital as of Thursday evening.