Officers Who Pulled Suspect From Burning Car Nominated For Award

CHAPPAQUA, NY — In a split moment, two Westchester County Police Department officers went from chasing down a suspect to saving that suspect's life.

Two Westchester County Police officers will be nominated for a lifesaving award for pulling a fleeing suspect out of a burning car after he crashed on the Saw Mill River Parkway.

The driver had sped way from an attempted traffic stop before losing control on wet pavement, going off the road and rolling the vehicle on to its side on the northbound Saw Mill River Parkway in Chappaqua, according to police. He was thrown into the back seat and was unconscious when his car burst into flames.

Westchester County Police Department Officers Niall Nerney and Christopher Duffy used a fire extinguisher to slow the raging fire and then broke through the damaged windshield to climb inside the still burning vehicle. The officers rendered first aid to help the injured man regain consciousness and then pulled him out of the car as the flames spread into the passenger compartment.

Department of Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor commended the officers for their lifesaving actions in a statement.

"This suspect fled at high speed on a rainy night, putting himself, other motorists and these officers in jeopardy," Raynor said. "Regardless of this man’s reckless behavior, Officers Nerney and Duffy did not hesitate to put themselves in harm’s way to save him as the flames spread. I commend them for the decisive, skillful and courageous actions they took when every second mattered."

Officials say the tale of heroism began on Dec. 1, around 9:30 p.m., when a Chevy Malibu traveling northbound on the Saw Mill River Parkway in Hawthorne sideswiped another car. The Malibu did not stop at the accident scene and continued north on the parkway, according to police. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash called county police and provided a description of the fleeing vehicle.

Nerney and Duffy positioned their patrol car at Grant Street in Pleasantville to watch passing traffic and soon spotted a Chevy Malibu matching the description. They attempted to stop the car near Route 120 in New Castle, but police say the driver accelerated in an attempt to elude them. The driver lost control of the car about a mile south of Readers Digest Road, colliding with another car before rolling his over and going off the road, according to police.

After he was rescued from the burning car, the suspect was taken by Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps to Westchester Medical Center. Nerney was also taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and cuts to his hands.

A 33-year-old woman and a 7-year-old child, occupants of the second vehicle struck by the suspect, were also taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and were released, officials said.

During a search of the suspect’s vehicle, a loaded handgun was found in the car.

The rescued 51-year-old driver of the fleeing car was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal contempt, fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle and reckless driving. He was also issued summonses for speeding and leaving the scene of the initial accident in Hawthorne.

The criminal contempt charge was lodged because he is barred from possessing a firearm as a result of a pre-existing court order of protection.