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Dash Cam Catches Dramatic Rescue of Man From Burning SUV In Alaska

Video of Heroic Acts of Citizens and APD Officer Freeing Man f...

Video of Heroic Acts of Citizens and APD Officer Freeing Man from Burning Car On Sunday, May 15, 2016 APD Officer Mitchel Veenstra was dispatched to respond to a vehicle that had rolled and caught on fire on Middlerock Road. It was reported that the sole male occupant of the vehicle had his arm trapped under the vehicle and could not get free. Thanks to the heroic acts of nearby citizens and Officer Veenstra, a life was saved on this day.

Posted by Anchorage Police Department on Tuesday, May 17, 2016

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A dash cam camera in an Anchorage police cruiser caught dramatic video of an officer and four citizens rescuing a man whose arm was trapped under a burning sport utility vehicle.

The video released Tuesday is agonizing to watch at times as the man screams: "Oh my God! Oh my God!"

The vehicle had rolled onto its right side Sunday. The unidentified driver, who hadn't worn a seat belt, had his arm trapped under the passenger side of the vehicle.

Officer Mitchel Veenstra and four volunteers rocked the car just enough for the driver to free his arm, and the crying man scrambled away from the SUV

As he flops to the ground in front of the cruiser, the man tells Veenstra that he's a firefighter with the state.

The man then says he's OK, but adds: "I thought I was literally going to die."

Veenstra says, "I'm glad to be talking to you right now."

The man replied: "Me too."

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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