Three Pulled From Burning Car In Florida By Good Samaritan

Three people pulled from a burning car in Jupiter, Florida are lucky to be alive after a brush with death Wednesday night — and police credit good samaritan Bill Baehler with a brave rescue.

According to Jupiter Police, the three pulled from the burning car were injured to the extent that they were unable to save themselves from the conflagration. The Palm Beach Post carried a story noting that Baehler is a staff writer at the paper, and that he describes the series of events leading up to his involvement in the rescue.

The paper says:

“Baehler was coming downstairs for his second round of bringing in the groceries to Jupiter apartment when he heard what sounded like a car crash… Without hesitation, the 39-year-old called 911 and ran to the scene.”

The Post indicates that Baehler pulled the three from the burning car with the assistance of police, but took life-saving action before officers arrived as he could hear sirens approaching, but no first responders were yet on scene as he approached the Cadillac:

“The driver’s door was locked, so he went to the front passenger side door which was unlocked. Baehler reached into the burning vehicle and grabbed 22-year-old Oleg Kouznetsov and laid him on the ground… Soon after the rescue, two Jupiter Police officers were able to pull driver Anthony Humberto Moas, 23, and back passenger Dustin Rauh, 19, from the car.”

In the rush to save the three young men, Baehler assisted as Jupiter Police Officer Chad Smith and Jupiter Police Officer Telly arrived and the three smashed windows and retrieved the injured people trapped inside.

Another local news source says that following the accident at 10:20 PM on Wednesday, the driver of the burning car was “flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center and is expected to recover. The two passengers pulled from the wreck were treated at nearby Jupiter Medical Center.