Officer Scott Krissinger Saves Man From Burning Truck (VIDEO)

NBC40.net

A New Jersey officer is being hailed as a hero after risking his own life to pull a man trapped in a burning truck out to safety.

NBC40 reports that on Monday, as 61-year-old Gerald Ferrill sat trapped and unconscious in his truck, Cape May Police Officer Scott Krissinger came to the rescue.

In harrowing video captured by Krissinger's dashboard camera, smoke can be seen pouring from the windows of the truck as flames engulf the vehicle.

Without hesitating, Krissinger sprints to the vehicle, opening the driver-side door as smoke and heat blast him. He then pulls out the unconscious driver, dragging him away from the vehicle to safety.

“I had a million things going through my head,” Krissinger told the station. “I just remember the smoke coming out,” he said, “I couldn't see anything.”

After checking on the man, Krissinger -- a seven-year veteran of the force -- is shown rushing back to the car and opening the passenger-side door to make sure no one else is in the car.

Captain Rob Sheehan praised the officer's quick actions.

"He's a hero in every sense of the word," Sheehan said. "We're very happy to have him as a member of our department."

According to the Associated Press, Ferrill was taken to the hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition.

“I think any of the officers at the Cape May Police Department would’ve done the same thing,” Krissinger told NBC Philadelphia. “I truly do. It just happened to me.”