A Colonie, Texas, police officer is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a man from a burning car on Friday, July 19, according to new video footage and a press release from the Colonie Police Department.
An unnamed man was rescued from the burning Tesla in the 5700 block of South Colony Boulevard on Highway 121 at approximately 1:23 a.m. Officers were called by witness Jersey Goldman, who told NBC 5 that he “saw the car lying between the concrete barriers on both sides.”
“I immediately called 911 and while I was on the phone with the Colonie Police Department, I saw sparks coming from under the front of the vehicle,” Goldman told the outlet.
Officials then headed to the flyover where they found the electric vehicle stuck between two of the flyover’s separator walls.
Colonie Police Department/Facebook
Officer Edward Hernandez and paramedics tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, but realized the car wasn’t stopping the flames, Officer Hernandez told NBC 5. “I could see the car was starting to burn, so I grabbed the fire extinguisher.”
“I realized it was a Tesla, but I didn’t realize at the time that it was a battery electric vehicle,” Hernandez told WFAA.
“At this point, I determined that this vehicle was on fire,” said the officer, who has been with TCPD for 19 months. He elected to “go back out there” and rescue the driver.
“In my mind, I was telling myself, I can’t let this guy die,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez’s body camera footage shows him pulling the man from the car. The footage shows Hernandez running toward the burning car with a Halligan tool (similar to a heavy pickaxe). He smashes the window three times, breaking it, then cuts the airbag. He then drags the driver out, who tells officers he’s OK.
“And at that point I said, ‘Hey man, hurry up and get out, the car is on fire,'” Hernandez told NBC 5. “He started putting his hand out the window and I grabbed him and started coaxing him out of the car.”
Once the man was safely out of the vehicle, officers drove him away from the burning scene, where the car was engulfed in flames minutes later.
“The driver was injured and taken to a local hospital where he has since regained consciousness and is recovering. Another officer at the scene was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and is expected to make a full recovery. The other officers were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and have been cleared to return to duty.”
Colonie Police Department/Facebook
Goldman explained that without the assistance of the officers, particularly Officer Hernandez, the outcome “might have been very different.”
“If the officers had arrived a little later, or if no one had called the police to report the accident, maybe the outcome would have been different,” Hernandez told WFAA.
Hernandez told NBC5 that his training and faith guided him during his emergency response. “It allowed me to help this person, save a life and have another day,” Hernandez said. “So for me, I definitely feel like I made a difference in someone’s life.”
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The Colonie Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information Wednesday.
