Man Pulls Unconscious Woman From Burning Car In South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — An off-duty corrections officer pulled an unconscious Monroe Township woman out of her burning car on Rt. 535 Sunday in South Brunswick, police announced.

The crash happened at 9:15 p.m. Father's Day Sunday, June 17 on Rt. 535 south at the intersection of Rt. 32. When police got there, they could see a large cloud of smoke billowing from a distance.

When officers Bafti Salihi and George Morgan arrived, they found a 2016 black Audi A3 fully engulfed in flames. Nobody was inside the car. Photos of the burning car are above, from South Brunswick police.

The Audi's driver, Catherine Bohar, 59, of Monroe, was sitting outside the car with a wrist injury, with Donald Carson, an off-duty New Jersey state corrections officer, next to her.

Police learned that as Bohar was slowing down at the intersection, she rear-ended the tractor trailer in front of her. Her airbag deployed as a result of the impact and the force of it knocked Bohar unconscious.

Carson was driving past and saw the woman slumped over, unconscious, at the wheel as her Audi began to catch on fire. Carson ran out of his car and was able to unbuckle her seat belt. He then pulled Bohar out of her Audi to safety as her vehicle became engulfed in flames.

She was transported to a local hospital and was treated for her injuries. The roadway was closed for two hours as the Monmouth Junction Fire Department put out the fire.

The crash could have easily been deadly, South Brunswick police chief Raymond Hayducka pointed out.

“Donald Carson’s quick actions prevented a tragedy last night," he said. "His selfless actions were able to help save the life of Catherine Bohar."