Video: New Jersey man pulled from burning car seconds before explosion

TITUSVILLE, Florida (WABC) -- Police officers in Florida rescued a man from a burning SUV just seconds before it exploded, and the tense moments were caught on dramatic DashCam video.

The single-vehicle crash happened around 9 p.m. Thursday on Riveredge Drive in Titusville.

The preliminary investigation revealed that 44-year-old Phillip Thistle, of New Jersey, was traveling northbound on Washington Avenue and veered onto Riveredge Drive at a high rate of speed.

He crashed a rental Toyota RAV 4 into a concrete barrier at the north end of Riveredge Drive, and the vehicle rolled several times.

Thistle, the only occupant, pulled himself out of the wreckage and collapsed just feet from the burning vehicle. Officers quickly located Thistle and pulled him to safety as the vehicle exploded and became fully engulfed in flames.

Thistle was ground transported to a local hospital, then airlifted with serious injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.