An alleged drunk driver owes his life to a tourist and a Las Vegas cop who ripped him out of his car just seconds before it burst into flames, the department said.
Shocking video of the rescue shows the two men running up to the smoking sedan after it smashed into a median and a palm tree on the Las Vegas strip around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
LVMPD Officer Derek Stebbins and good Samaritan Justin Mouser rushed to pry open the doors as crowds warned that the car was catching fire.
The duo worked together to pull the unconscious driver out of the front seat just before the undercarriage inferno erupted, the footage shows.
The driver was taken to the hospital, where he was charged the same day with a DUI, failure to maintain lane and proof of insurance charges, according to court records obtained by Fox 5 Vegas.
Mouser, a barber from Kentucky who was on a Las Vegas vacation with his wife, told the outlet that Stebbins had yelled at the crowds to stay away from the car, but that he couldn’t help but jump into action.
“I think the officer would have got him regardless,” Mouser said. “I’m glad the guy’s going to be ok.”
But the department hailed Mouser as a hero whose quick response and being in the right place at the right time “saved his life.”
“He’s just as much of a hero as I am from just wanting to stick around and help get that gentleman out,” Stebbins said.