Retired Newark Fireman and Son Rescue Pilot From Burning Wreckage: Reports

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — He may have retired from the Newark Fire Department, but he didn’t retire from a life of heroics.

A former Newark fire captain and his son risked their lives to rescue a pilot from a burning plane crash in West Caldwell on Saturday, dashing into the burning debris and pulling the man from the wreckage of his Hawker Beachcraft Bonanza, reports say.

According to authorities, the crash took place around 12:45 p.m. when a Hawker Beachcraft Bonanza plane crashed on Patton Drive in West Caldwell.

Fairfield resident Bob Alviggi told NJ.com that the crash – which happened about 20 feet away from his house – caused flames so intense that the heat warped his fence.

Alviggi told CBS New York that after the plane crashed, he saw a “pair of good Samaritans” come running out of the woods to rescue the pilot.

“They pulled the guy out of the plane,” Alviggi said.

The brave bystanders were later identified as retired Newark Fire Department captain Michael Martino and his son, Michael Jr., according to CBS New York.

“I really didn’t have time to think,” Martino Jr. told CBS. “My main concern at that point was whether or not the plane was going to explode, and were we close enough, and getting that guy out as far away as possible.

“I yelled to him if someone else is in the plane, and he said there was no one there, but he had a broken leg,” Martino Sr. said. “But we still picked him up and moved them into the safety zone.”

The Martinos said they didn’t consider themselves heroes and thanked local emergency responders and bystanders for their efforts in rescuing the pilot - the only occupant of the aircraft – who suffered a broken leg and burns to his face and chest and was transported to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson.

It didn't appear that anyone on the ground was injured or that any homes were damaged, the Associated Press reported.

In August of 2015, another small aircraft crashed behind the West Caldwell Kiddie Academy after taking off from Essex County Airport, killing the pilot, a veteran flight instructor with 25 years of experience.

The pilot, Long Branch resident John Hannon, was on his way to pick up a student at Teterboro Airport when he reported engine troubles, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said.

• See related article: Pilot Killed In N.J. Plane Crash Behind Kiddie Academy
• See related article: West Caldwell Plane Crash: Pilot Was On Way To Pick Up Student

File Photo: Essex County Airport, Wikimedia Commons

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com