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SOUTHLAKE, Texas (KTVT) — Southlake police officer Joshua Swisher had just begun writing a speeding ticket when he spotted smoke pouring from a car on Highway 114. Moments later, he was sprinting toward a vehicle engulfed in flames.
Swisher said he had pulled over a driver for a speeding violation when radio traffic reported a possible vehicle fire nearby. He looked left and saw thick smoke rising from a car on the highway.
He instructed the first driver to remain stopped and directed the smoking vehicle to pull over. As soon as it did, the car burst into flames.
Swisher tried to open the door, but the handle broke off in his hand. He put on a glove, shattered the window, and reached inside.
“Hey, come out through the window. Sir, come out through the window now,” Swisher yelled in body camera footage. “Give me your hand. I got you. Are you OK? Anybody else in the car?”
He pulled the driver to safety as the fire intensified.
Swisher said he relied on instinct.
“When you’re in the moment, you’re just thinking you have to act,” he said. “There’s not a lot of time to process. My thought was just to get him out of the car as quickly as I could.”
After the rescue, Swisher returned to the driver he had initially stopped.
“Met with the other driver after – here’s your driver’s license, it’s a warning, slow it down,” he said.
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