What to Know
- Three Good Samaritans rescued two women who were trapped inside their vehicle following a fiery crash in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
- One of the Good Samaritans, Juan Perez, lost his brother in a car crash years ago, according to his wife.
- Police said the driver of one of the vehicles involved ran through a stop sign and traffic citations are pending.
A Good Samaritan who lost his brother in a car accident years ago, raced against time to help rescue two women trapped in an SUV following a fiery crash in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, over the weekend.
Police said the driver of a Toyota RAV4 ran a stop sign at the intersection of Cates Road and West Jersey Avenue and collided with a Nissan Altima Saturday night. The impact caused both vehicles to slam into a utility pole with the RAV4 pinned against it and pushed up onto the hood of the Nissan.
Two men inside the Nissan managed to escape. Two women were trapped inside the RAV4 however as the Nissan underneath them caught fire. Juan Perez told NBC10 he witnessed the crash and jumped into action.
“I tried to get in the window but the car was locked,” Perez said. “Everything was locked so I break the window.”
With his wife, Paula Jaramillo, watching in a panic, Perez and at least two other Good Samaritans teamed up to get the women out.
“We break the door and went inside and unlock the doors and I just pulled them out,” Perez said. "The two ladies.”
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Jaramillo said both vehicles were fully engulfed in flames within a minute. The women were taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The two men who escaped the Nissan refused medical treatment.
“I just tried to help the people,” Perez said. “That’s all.”
Jaramillo said the rescue took an emotional toll on her husband.
“Right after he pulled them out, he just walked away and then he did start crying,” she said. “Never seen him cry. He started crying because his brother died in a car accident many years ago and then he said, ‘Maybe the same thing happened to my brother. Nobody helped him.'"
Authorities said traffic citations are pending further investigation. Jaramillo, meanwhile, is proud of her husband.
“He didn’t think about himself or anything but just to help them,” she said. “Make sure they were safe.”
