WATCH: Video shows off-duty police officer saving woman from fiery crash in Brookfield
An off-duty firefighter reportedly saved a woman from a burning car in Brookfield, Connecticut, on Saturday, November 26, 2022.
Nicholas Perri Jr. was on his way home when he rescued a woman from a near-fatal car crash. The incident happened on Route 7 after 3 am on Saturday.
According to Brookfield Fire Company, a paramedic ambulance was returning from Danbury Hospital and was on scene within minutes. Upon arrival, they found Perri removing the woman from the burning car. A video shared by the Fire Department shows Perri rescuing the woman from the vehicle. The dashcam footage shows Perri, along with another unidentified person, carrying the injured woman to safety.
The woman was admitted to Danbury hospital and is currently in the ICU. She reportedly received third-degree burns.
Off-duty firefighter did not have tools while saving the woman in Brookfield
Perri is a resident of Brookfield. Nicholas is a 10-year veteran working for the White Plains Fire Department.
The brave firefighter had said that he does not usually take that particular way back home. He happened to take Route 7 that day and eventually found a distraught woman waving at him. She told him about the fiery car crash, and that someone was trapped inside the car.
While talking to News12, Perri said,
“I looked to my right, and I saw a car off the ravine into the woods. It had caught fire. Training, and instinct kicked in. I just pulled over. I ran down there.”
Since he was off-duty, he did not have the necessary tools and equipment. Without giving it a second thought, Perri went on to rescue the person in the car, risking his own life.
“I freed up one of her legs and kind of turned her horizontal towards the window to get her further away from the fire because, at this point, the fire had already taken over the driver’s side of the vehicle.”
He added that in the act, his jacket caught fire too. Eventually, he managed to grab her sneakers and free her leg. He then pulled the woman out of the passenger window.
Nicholas continued,
“It was pretty dramatic, but the outcome was good, and she’s alive. I was just at the right place at the right time.”
He sustained minor injuries, but refused to go to the hospital.
Nicholas is to be recruited by the Brookfield Fire Department
Soon after the incident, Brookfield Fire Chief Andrew Ellis arrived at the scene. He is reportedly the first on-duty fireman to arrive on the scene. Ellis stated,
“Nick had already pulled her from the vehicle, and the vehicle was fully involved as was the area around it. The gas tank had let loose. If Nick was not there, and they were relying on the Brookfield Fire Department—the first person to be there---she would not have made it. The man upstairs was looking out for her for sure.”
Ellis added,
“She’s got a long ahead of her, but the doctors are confident she’s going to be OK.”
Upon being thanked and appreciated, Nicholas said,
“No, I’m not a hero. It’s what I do for a living, and if asked to do it again, I would do it all over again.”
Andrew Ellis mentioned that he would be recruiting Nick at the Brookfield Fire Department for his heroic actions and sense of responsibility.
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