An amazing act of kindness was observed when an officer and a Good Samaritan helped rescue a man from a burning car.
Aryn Johnson of Norway, Maine, was driving home from work on March 17 when his vehicle crashed unexpectedly. He told reporters that he was unaware of how it happened because one minute he was listening to music, and the next, he was in the hospital.
“I was wide awake when I was driving,” Johnson said, “I was listening to my music, my hip hop, just chilling along, and all of a sudden I wake up here. He adds, “I don’t even remember what really caused my crash, just except for what people told me.”
Posted by Aryn Johnson on Tuesday, 1 September 2020
Johnson doesn’t recall how his rescuers looked like, as he never saw them, only faintly recalling a few seconds of panic after the crash. Everything he knows about the crash was what he had been told and what he’d seen from the dash camera video from the cop who responded to the accident.
Johnson was caught in the jaws of death in his burning car as seen in a video released by the police department. “In the early hours of March 17, 2021, Officer [Andre] Chasse responded to a motor vehicle crash,” the Mechanic Falls Police Department posted on Facebook. “The operator was entrapped and the vehicle began smoking.
“As Officer Chasse began to try and peel the windshield away from the car, the vehicle ignited into flames. Officer Chasse, with the help of a citizen who was on his way into work, were able to pry the windshield away from the vehicle.”
It was an honor to take pictures of Ofc Chasse from the Mechanic Falls Police Dept. This young officer embodies the…
Posted by Blue Line Aerial Media on Sunday, 21 March 2021
Chasse had to extract Johnson from the twisted vehicle and carry him away from the crash site. Johnson knows how blessed he is, despite the broken vertebrae and concussion he sustained. “I don’t even know what he looks like,” Johnson said of the officer.
“I’m blessed that he saved me, though. I … I appreciate him and the person who stopped on the side of the road heading to work to come help me. Because without them, I would have been dead or gone.
“I must have passed out cold when he grabbed me. I saw the video. My feet were down to the floor like I was lifeless. Like God bless you, seriously.”
Police Chief Jeffrey Goss, said that Chasse acted as if the whole thing was just another day on the job. “He was just like, ‘Yeah, I had to pull the guy out of the vehicle,’” Goss recalled. “And he, you know, didn’t make it seem like it was any big thing. But you know I watched the video and I was just totally impressed with his actions.”
In the early hours of March 17,2021, Officer Chasse responded to a motor vehicle crash. The operator was entrapped and the vehicle began smoking. As Officer Chasse began to try and peel the windshield away from the car, the vehicle ignited into flames. Officer Chasse, with the help of a citizen who was on his way into work, were able to pry the windshield away from the vehicle. The operator was injured which caused Officer Chasse to have to carry the occupant from the vehicle and to safety. If not for Officer Chasse's quick and heroic actions the occupants outcome may not have been the same. Attached is a video taken from the dash camera recording. Thank you to Officer Chasse, your actions exemplify our department, town and profession.
Posted by Mechanic Falls Police Department on Wednesday, 17 March 2021
“Officer Chasse did an outstanding job. Talking with the guy. Keeping him calm. Waiting for fire and rescue. And then they realized the flames started coming up and then it went to rescue right away versus waiting for the fire department.”
Johnson was thankful to the two rescuers’ who saved his life after he left the hospital the next day. “I’m so thankful that I’m alive,” he told WMTW. “Like really, like … It’s unbelievable. He added, “God bless them … If I can do anything — if I can buy a meal for them, I would love to.”