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The trio of strangers -- William Tiernan, Paul Delmonico and U.S. Airman Darwin Polo -- were outside a 7-Eleven in an East Ridgewood Avenue strip mall across from the Fashion Center when Tiernen spotted a car across the roadway barreling through snowbanks just before 11:30 a.m.
He called for help and ran toward the car.
Delmonico and Polo, hearing his cries, saw the car speed down a hill, briefly go airborne and land in the parking lot behind the Fashion Center, Tiernan recalled.
"Paul and I ran over while calling 9-1-1 to see what we could do," Tiernan said. "[Delmonico] tried to pull the windshield out."
The victim was unresponsive, in a blinking stare, they said.
The three did their best to help until police officers arrived barely a minute later.
Tiernan, Delmonico and Polo huddled on the sidewalk as more police and firefighters arrived and eventually extricated the victim.
"I really hope that the driver is okay," Tiernan said.
"It could have been a lot worse," Polo added.
The driver, 41-year-old Saji Kochumman of White Plains, N.Y., was transported to The Valley Hospital in stable condition with minor injuries, Police and Fire Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg told Daily Voice, citing a suspected medical emergency as the cause.
As for their teamwork and heroism demonstrated by Tiernan, Delmonico and Polo?
"It was instinctive," said Delmonico of Paramus. "We all reacted together -- it was a team effort.
"As ugly as it looks, the outcome was good."
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