Huntington Manor firefighter says training kicked in when he rescued driver

Huntington Manor firefighter Dale Bartolomeo on Wednesday credited his training after he sprang into action and pulled a severely injured driver from a burning car on the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway in Woodbury.

Bartolomeo was driving his 2019 Chevrolet Camaro to his parent's home in Uniondale about 3 p.m. Tuesday when he turned the bend onto the southbound expressway's ramp and saw a vehicle on fire, he said. Nassau police said only moments earlier, a 34-year-old male driver behind the wheel of a 2012 Audi, lost control while westbound on the Long Island Expressway, left the roadway, and struck a cement barrier wall. The Audi then launched onto the expressway's overpass and caught fire, cops said.

"This guy crashed, and 30 seconds later, I was there," Bartolomeo told Newsday. "I saw smoke coming out from under the hood, so I pulled over."

Bartolomeo said he then pulled a fire extinguisher from his trunk, and scanned the street for victims. He looked inside the car and saw a bloody, and apparently, unconscious driver, pinned under the dashboard, Bartolomeo said. The Audi's windows were all broken, he said.

Bartolomeo had one thought on his mind.

"I got to get him out of the car," he said. In about three minutes, which seemed like "slow motion," he did just that. Bartolomeo, 29, of Huntington Station, has been a volunteer with the hamlet's fire department for more than eight years. He will celebrate his six-year anniversary as an EMT with the FDNY next week, he said.

The Audi's driver, who was not identified, survived but remains in critical condition at a hospital, authorities said.

Bartolomeo said two good Samaritans helped him. A retired police officer moved the injured man further away from the burning car, and a woman bandaged the victim's injuries, Bartolomeo said.

Police medics, along with Nassau police officers, responded to the scene and performed lifesaving measures until a police helicopter arrived, officials said.

Bartolomeo said it was luck he was in the right place to help the injured driver. He lauded "everyone who stepped up" for the victim.

"I'm just thankful I was able to do my best to get him out of the car," he said. "It's something you never expect when you're driving down the road."