Good Samaritans rescue driver before flames consume car in Burlington Township

ByAshley Johnson WPVI logo
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Good Samaritans rescue driver before flames consume car in N.J.
CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Burlington Township Police Department dashcam video shows the moment the two good Samaritans pulled the driver from the burning car at Sunset and Salem roads.

BURLINGTON TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- Two men are being called heroes for running towards a burning car to save a driver in Burlington County, New Jersey.

The crash happened Sunday at Sunset and Salem roads.

Burlington Township Police Department dashcam video shows the moment the two good Samaritans pulled the driver from the burning car.

Police identified the heroes as Larry Scott and Domenique Golden.

"I'm not really a hero per se. I would have done it anyhow," said Larry Scott of Willingboro.

"To me, it's just second nature, it's what you should do," said Domenique Golden of Burlington.

When the car began smoking, the duo moved like the wind, pulling the unconscious driver to safety before the flames consumed the car.

Scott says the driver first hit a hydrant, then a telephone pole causing his car to do a 360 in front of the Shell gas station and burst into flames.

"I'm saying, 'Look man a fire coming, a fire coming you have to get out of here,'" recalled Scott.

"Mr. Scott undid his seatbelt and started pulling the driver, he had both hands on the steering wheel, he had a serious grip. I was able to break his grip," Golden said.

The two men say they couldn't have saved the driver without each other's help. A huge bonus is Golden's background as a police officer in the Air National Guard. The first thing he did was get the driver's name.

"When he was being unresponsive, you call their name because it might be a better chance of them responding," Golden said.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office called their actions "extremely courageous."

"It takes a special kind of person to realize something is wrong and immediately spring into action to help," the prosecutor's office said.

Police say the driver is in stable condition and is being treated for minor injuries.

There is no word on what caused the crash.