{"id":14818,"date":"2017-02-06T19:25:16","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T19:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14818"},"modified":"2017-02-06T19:25:16","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T19:25:16","slug":"truly-guardian-angels-off-duty-police-officer-and-firefighter-rescue-woman-from-burning-suv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=14818","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Truly Guardian Angels\u2019: Off-Duty Police Officer And Firefighter Rescue Woman From Burning SUV"},"content":{"rendered":"

(CBSNewYork<\/a>)<\/strong> \u2013 An off-duty Suffolk County police officer and off-duty volunteer firefighter saved a woman\u2019s life after her vehicle flipped over and caught fire on the Long Island Expressway Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The wreck happened at around 10:50 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of the LIE near exit 60.<\/p>\n

Melissa Ortiz\u2019s Ford Expedition crashed with a National Grid vehicle. Ortiz\u2019s vehicle flipped over and caught fire.<\/p>\n

As CBS2\u2019s Andrea Grymes reported, the raging flames engulfed the overturned car as it sat on the LIE.<\/p>\n

Suffolk County police officer Thomas Mutarelli, who was in uniform but off-duty, and Jeffrey Dupoux, a volunteer firefighter with the Elmont Fire Department, stopped to help make a rescue.<\/p>\n

There wasn\u2019t much time, said Mutarelli.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was trapped inside and someone from outside said the vehicle was on fire. We had no time to put the fire out,\u201d Mutarelli said. \u201cIf we weren\u2019t there, we don\u2019t know what would have happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we were pulling her out, it started to grow, so it was basically on fire when we arrived on scene,\u201d said Dupoux.<\/p>\n