CAPE MAY — Patrolman Scott Krissinger’s shift started at 6 p.m. Nov. 25. At approximately 6:02 a call came in that a vehicle was on fire on Sunset Boulevard.
“Later on,” Krissinger said, “a witness at the scene reported that the truck had been revving high and another witness said it sounded like the engine had exploded. She saw a spark and the next thing she knew, it was on fire. Her daughter jumped out of the car to go look but her mother yelled for her to come back. That’s when they called 9-1-1.”
When Krissinger arrived, the flames were engulfing the front of the truck. “I saw the fire and I didn’t know if anyone was inside the vehicle,” Krissinger said. Witnesses were also unsure if anyone was in the truck. That’s when Krissinger jumped into action. He ran to the driver’s side window with his Expandable Baton ready to break the glass. Before doing so, he checked the door and tried to open it. “I don’t remember the door being hot,” he said. “When I opened it, I wasn’t sure if there were flames inside the vehicle or not. But there was a lot of smoke.”
The driver of the truck, Gerald Ferrill, 61, a Mays Landing resident was not wearing his seatbelt. Krissinger grabbed Ferrill, and dragged him from the burning vehicle.
“He didn’t move or say anything,” Krissinger said. “But he blinked his eyes open for a second and looked at me.”
Due to the fact that there was so much smoke, Krissinger didn’t know if anyone else was in the vehicle so he ran back to the passenger side once Ferrill was out of harm’s way. “I couldn’t see anything,” Krissinger said. “I was just feeling inside the truck for another person.”
It was then that Patrolman Krissinger was joined by Patrolman Gus Coll who was running up the side of the road toward the fire. Coll helped Krissinger pull Ferrill even further away from the fire.
Shortly after that, Sgt. John Bobik arrived at the scene and did yet another check of the vehicle to make certain no one was inside.
Cape May Rescue arrived with an ambulance and Ferrill was medivaced to Crozier Burn Center for treatment.
West Cape May Fire Company responded to the call and extinguished the fire. The incident is currently under investigation by the Cape May County Fire Marshal, West Cape May Fire Company and the Cape May Police Department.
“I’ve watched the video,” Krissinger said, speaking of the video that was recorded from his patrol car. “It didn’t seem like it happened that fast.”
“The video speaks for itself,” said Cape May Police Cpt. Robert Sheehan. “Patrolman Krissinger acted without hesitation. We are certainly proud of him and are glad he’s part of our department.”
Video submitted by Cpt. Robert Sheehan of the Cape May Police Department.
To contact Bryon Cahill, email bcahill@cmcherald.com.
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