NYPD Officer From West Babylon Saves Driver From Burning Minivan

ROSLYN, NY — A man who's minivan burst into flames on Thursday night in Roslyn was fortunate that an NYPD officer from West Babylon was nearby and noticed the situation.

Joseph Ryder, 24, was driving on the Northern State Parkway on his way home from his shift at Patrol Borough Brooklyn North around 8 p.m. when he saw sparks coming out of the rear axle of a minivan in the center lane.

A couple moments later, the whole undercarriage caught fire.

The driver didn't realize his car was burning but after a quarter mile of wailing on his horn and waving at the driver, Ryder, who was off-duty at the time and driving his personal car, finally got the man's attention.

Ryder, who is also a volunteer firefighter at the East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company, made sure no one else was in the car. As the fire increased in intensity and smoke began billowing out of the passenger compartment, he got the driver a safe distance away from the minivan.

Not long after, the gas tank ruptured, metal was flying everywhere and the car was fully on fire.
In all likelihood, he saved the man's life.

"I'm just doing something that I think any other first responder would've done," Ryder told Patch. "I guess that's what all the training is for. You see a situation, react to it and think about it afterwards. I was just in the right place at the right time. Did I do anything crazy? No. All I did was get the guy's attention, walked him over to a safe distance. That's it. I'm glad he's okay."

With reporting by Michael DeSantis