Off-Duty Cranston Officer Pulls Man from Burning SUV in East Providence

Off-duty Cranston police officer Brenton Medeiros was on his way to work late Tuesday night when he saw an SUV burning on a street alongside Interstate 195 in East Providence.

Moments later, he was pulling the victim of a crash from a burning Land Rover after jumping over a six-foot fence and running to the scene, saving the man from a potentially fatal fire that eventually caused an explosion.

East Providence police have not identified the 70-year-old victim, who reportedly crashed into a guardrail on North Hull Street at around 11:20 p.m., and it is likely he mistook the road for a highway onramp.

But police said the victim was transported to Rhode Island Hospital and was treated for non life-threatening injuries.

A witness who saw the whole scene unfold said he was watching the fire burn along with a small group of people. He said he didn’t realize that someone was still inside or that there had been an accident.

“I thought it was just a car fire,” Walter Belanos said. “All off a sudden, I turn my head to see if a fire truck is coming and I see this guy jump the fence, run to the [SUV], open the door and start yanking the guy out.”

That guy was Medeiros, who was able to remove the victim and carry the man away from the fire, which destroyed the Land Rover.

Fire and rescue arrived shortly afterwards to put out the fire and transport the victim.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Photo Courtesy: Walter Belonos