Chief Hayducka Praises Quick Action of Officer and Good Samaritan
South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka praised the quick actions of an officer and good Samaritan for pulling a driver away from a fiery crash early Thursday morning. The crash happened at 3:52 am, South Brunswick Police received a 911 call reporting a car crash on Route 1 north just past Ridge Road. As officers responded, a second caller reported one of the vehicles was on fire. Officer Daniel Stoddard arrived within minutes to find a seriously injured 50-year-old Hamilton man lying on the highway not far from his 2021 Jeep Wrangler, which was fully engulfed in flames. A passing motorist, Haseeb Mehmood of Old Bridge, had stopped to help the injured driver and along with Officer Stoddard dragged the man to safety. After moving the driver to safety, Officer Stoddard went to the second vehicle, a 2015 Honda, and evaluated the 40-year-old female driver, who was also injured.
Chief Hayducka said, “The driver had a serious leg injury and was unable to get any further away from the fire. I want to thank the citizen who stopped Hasseb Mehmood, for getting involved and making a difference. His actions and Officer Daniel Stoddard 's prevented further injury to the driver.”
Monmouth Junction First Aid and South Brunswick EMS transported both drivers to area hospitals from treatment. Kingston Fire Department extinguished the car fire.
South Brunswick Police continue to investigate the crash. Preliminary details indicate that both vehicles were headed northbound on Route 1 when they made contact. The contact forced the Jeep off the shoulder of the roadway and into a tree. The Honda came to rest in the right lane of the highway. Route 1 northbound was closed for an hour. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Officer Austin Haren at (732) 329-4646.
Video link Officer Stoddard body worn camera:
https://x.com/SoBrunswickPD/status/1907801314664284558?t=gz_pT1UKwMEjOwGHPQ5LGg&s=19
