CLIFFVIEW PILOT HAS IT FIRST: River Vale Police Sgt. Charles Martel and Officer William MacRae braved a downed utility pole knocked down by a car to pull the occupants to safety early this morning on Westwood Avenue.
PHOTO: River Vale Sgt. Gary Blumenthal
“I am very proud of our officers who, without hesitation, put themselves in harm’s way to assist the driver and his passenger to safety,”
Detective Sgt. John J. DeVoe told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this afternoon.
The call of a crash came in at 2:49 a.m., River Vale Police Chief Michael McCann said.
Martel and MacCrae arrived to find the pole split in two from the force of the impact, with most of it hanging perilously close to the car, the chief said.
What made the rescue hazardous were several high-tension electrical wires that were pulled down, he said.
“Thankfully, there were no serious injuries sustained as a result of this crash,” McCann said.
The driver said he swerved his Hyundai Elantra to avoid hitting a deer and it rammed the pole. His 36-year-old passenger is from Old Tappan.
Assisting were the River Vale Fire Department and Ambulance Corps, as well a mutual aid from the Old Tappan Police Department for the road closure.
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