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The rescue happened in Northern Westchester on Wednesday, Dec. 20 around 7 p.m., when a car traveling on Route 9 northbound in Croton-on-Hudson left the roadway and crashed, causing the vehicle to catch on fire, according to the village's fire department.
As luck would have it, the crash was witnessed by bystander Chris DeSanto, who decided to risk his safety and pull the semi-conscious driver out of the burning wreck before first responders could arrive, Croton-on-Hudson fire officials said.
Soon after the dramatic scene, firefighters arrived and began fighting the blaze while also providing emergency care to the driver and searching the surrounding woods for any other victims. Crews also temporarily shut down the northbound lanes of Route 9 at Senesqua Road to give first responders a safe space to work.
The driver was later rushed to Westchester Medical Center's trauma unit with serious injuries, according to the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department.
In a social media post, the department thanked DeSanto for his brave actions.
"His heroic actions deserve recognition, even though we know he isn’t looking for it. Job well done, Chris!" the department said.
The cause of the crash was not revealed by the department.
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