A Bridgewater police officer saved a driver from a burning car after a fiery crash on Route 22 westbound early today.

Police say the collision, which closed the road for much of the morning commute, happened at 2:11 a.m. near the Thompson Avenue exit ramp, according to Bridgewater police.

The crash involved a Hyundai Elantra driven by Peter J. Della-Ventura, 44, of North Plainfield, with passenger Moosade Z. Harris, 26, of Plainfield, and a 2007 Freightliner tanker truck operated by Zachary J. Roslin, 33, of Freehold.

Police say the tanker was exiting the Speedway gas station at 1620 U.S. Highway 22 West when Della-Ventura’s Elantra, traveling west in the right lane, struck its rear. The vehicles fused, caught fire, and traveled 685 feet while stuck together before Roslin stopped on the shoulder.

Officer Noah Allatt, on patrol nearby, arrived and found Della-Ventura unconscious and trapped in the flaming Elantra. Allatt rescued him, while Harris and Roslin exited their vehicles independently.

One lane of westbound traffic reopened at 6:30 a.m., wreckage was cleared after 8 a.m., and the road fully reopened around 9:15 a.m. Route 22 eastbound stayed open all morning.