Bloodied fire captain makes heroic rescue in Newark fire truck crash

CeFaan Kim Image
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Fire captain makes heroic rescue in multi-car Newark crash
CeFaan Kim has more from Newark.

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Firefighters in Newark who were rushing to a fire and were on the way to help others were in need of some rescuing of their own.

The fire truck collided with a GMC Acadia and a Camry as it was traveling westbound on Orange Street near Clifton Ave. The truck completely flipped around, crushing the other two cars.

However, it was happened next that reminds you of what firefighters are trained for. Witnesses say the firefighter in the front, trapped inside, banged up from the collision jumped into action.

CeFaan Kim was live at the scene:

"He was injured, had blood by his arm, he hopped out the window of the truck, and landed on the car and started helping the people that were injured in the SUV," Jeff O'Connor said.

"It was a quick hop out the window like he was MacGyver," added Denise Morales.

Witnesses say first responders had to rip the doors off the SUV to free two men inside. Shaken up and dazed, they were rushed to the hospital. Officials say two firefighters were also hurt.

The driver of the Camry appeared to be okay. The Camry was a part of a scary moment later in the night - when it was moved from the fire truck, the truck started rolling down the street with no one behind the wheel. A firefighter was able to jump inside and pull the brakes, just feet from causing more damage.

There were still a lot of unanswered questions on Saturday night. The extent of the injuries is not yet known. It is also not known which vehicle had the light, or which vehicle caused the collision.