While some incidents call for the fire department, sometimes a police officer arrives on the scene first. After saving a man from a burning car, a San Jose officer is being hailed a hero.
Fiery Crash
On September 26, a crash on Highway 101 resulted in a car on fire on the right-hand shoulder. The fire department came, but rookie San Jose Police Officer Pedro Garcia was already at the vehicle.
He was pulling the man from that sedan that was on fire. in a video captured by the fire department, Garcia walked up to the vehicle despite the intense flames to reach the driver
He retrieved the driver from his seat, grabbing him under the arms and pulling him away from the car. According to KTVU, Garcia said the driver was unconscious but awoke when he was dragging him away from the fiery crash.
“I was like, ‘Hey bro, let go, your car is on fire! I’m explaining to him, ‘You’re going to be OK, bro, you’re going to be OK. They’re going to check you out.”
Officer Garcia
Moving Quickly
Garcia did not wait for the fire department to arrive because he felt there would not be enough time. Even though the fire trucks were pulling into the area and the California Highway Patrol has jurisdiction on highways, Garcia knew he had to act to save a life, even though he had just graduated from the academy in February.
“In this situation, I feel like seconds matter, so I didn’t want to spend any more time. I believe I was at the right place at the right time. And it was just instinct. I had to do it.”
Officer Garcia
The man that was pulled from the vehicle was taken to the hospital to be treated. Garcia said that the fire department told him the man's shoes had melted to the vehicle's floorboard, which was why it was so difficult to get the man out of the vehicle.
Just Doing His Job
Garcia does not consider himself a hero. Instead, he feels like he was just doing his job. Garcia said, "Anyone else in the department if they were in this situation I was, they would have done the same exact thing."
San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata said, "To have his training kick in like it did was just amazing. I'm proud of his courageous acts."
