Dingman firefighter saves man from burning car

DINGMAN TOWNSHIP — Deputy Fire Chief Michael LaPadula was at the right spot at the right time, said Dingman Fire Chief Mark O’Brien.
LaPadula probably saved the life of a man locked inside a burning car after a serious car accident, O'Brien said.
A week earlier, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, LaPadula — who lives in Dingman Township and works for New Jersey Department of Transportation — happened on the burning vehicle with a co-worker moments after the serious crash took place on Interstate 80 in Roxbury Township, N.J. The injured driver was still inside, and LaPadula helped pull him out.
“LaPadula and his co-worker immediately went to the burning vehicle, forced the rear driver's side door, cut the seat belt, and pulled the driver from the vehicle before it became fully involved," O’Brien said. "The driver was flown to a local trauma center for treatment of his injuries."
By Anya Tikka