When Robert Stannard heard a loud bang and noticed the power go out, his customers told him a car had just smashed into a pole.
Stannard immediately ran outside and realized time was running out for the people in the car.
"There was a lot of smoke inside. The car window was up on the driver side, so I pulled the window until it broke," said Stannard, who owns Bobby's World of Cards & Comics. "I asked if there was anyone else in the car. I tried to open the door but couldn't get the door open."
With the doors jammed shut on both sides, the National Guard veteran yelled for fire extinguishers and used them to suppress the flames. Around that time, Middletown Police arrived.
"The fire started to get going again as we were there, and we began trying to get the individuals out of the vehicle," said Officer Nick Puorro said in an exclusive interview with NBC Connecticut.
Officers Nick Puorro, Matt Freiman, Michael Pellegrini, Josh Ward, and Matt Tiano were the first officers on scene.
Despite the intensifying flames, the thick smoke, and the danger of electric wires dangling above, the men rushed forward to help.
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"It happened so quick. My first instinct was to just get the passenger out," said Officer Pellegrini. "The smoke was very dense. We couldn't really see in there, so we just started reaching."
Blinded by the smoke, the officers and Stannard managed to pull the driver and her passenger to safety.
Police tell us both are expected to survive.
Officers give credit to Stannard for his courage and quick thinking.
"He was more than willing to sacrifice his safety," said Officer Freiman.
Stannard credits the officers and other first responders for their actions.
"I just did what anyone would do. I give those guys a lot of credit," said Stannard.
Without all of them working together, the ending to Thursday night's crash could have ended in tragedy.
"In that situation we have a job to do: try to save those people. And that's what we try to do," said Officer Puorro.
"Someone's in trouble, you know, you help. There's nothing more to it than that," said Stannard.
Officers Puorro and Freiman have been with the department for several years. Officer Pellegrini joined the force two months ago. All of them are back out on the job tonight.
