Good Samaritans save man from fiery car wreck on Route 295 in Mount Laurel

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (WPVI) -- A New Jersey man is alive this afternoon because of teamwork.

He is still in the hospital after he crashed into a tree on Route 295 in Mount Laurel early Sunday morning.

He was trapped in his vehicle when it burst into flames, but he was rescued by a team of citizens and first responders who banded together in an incredible act of bravery and selflessness.

"I just saw the truck impaled into a tree, so I stopped," said Matt Holshue of JC Towing.

Holshue, a tow truck driver from Vineland, was the first on the scene. He said the moment he noticed someone in the vehicle a small fire quickly started to spread. He grabbed his fire extinguisher and got to work.

"Just pretty much trying to figure out how to get the driver out of this vehicle," said Holshue.

It was about then that first responders arrived on scene and quickly joined in the fast-paced rescue effort.

"I think within 30 seconds of my arrival the entire passenger compartment was well involved and he didn't have much time," said Mount Laurel Fire Department Battalion Chief Larry Fox.

Two parademics from Virtua Hospital were also at the scene, racing against the clock - and the flames - to save the driver's life.

"It feels good to know we all made a difference in this person's life, and he's going to live to see another day," said Geoffrey Groff, paramedic with Virtua EMS.

And while the first responders say it's their calling and the job they signed up for, they're quick to salute the civilians, like Holshue, who stopped when many would keep driving by.

"You don't see that a lot anymore," said Groff. "These guys just went to work.

They didn't care about their own safety, they just got in there and went to work."

They said there is no doubt that teamwork is what saved a life that night.

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