Nassau cops rescue man trapped under car

A team of Nassau County police officers worked together Tuesday to lift a vehicle off a man’s chest after it had fallen on top of him in Levittown when a car jack gave out, authorities said.

The vehicle collapsed on top of the motorist while he was lying on his back under it, police said in a statement Wednesday. Police did not release the man's identity.

The incident occurred about 9:40 a.m. near the intersection of Hempstead Turnpike and Loring Road, police said.

Officials described a harrowing incident that could have ended tragically.

"The victim put a jack under the vehicle and extended it to lift the vehicle off the ground so he could inspect underneath it," police said in the statement. "As the victim was lying under the vehicle face up, parallel to the road, the jack gave out. The vehicle collapsed on top of the victim, trapping him with one of his arms across his chest, restricting his breathing. The vehicle hit the side of the curb, preventing it from fully collapsing on top of the victim."

Responding officers from the Eighth Precinct were then able to put the jack back under the vehicle, using it to slightly lift it to reduce the pressure from the man’s chest as he struggled to breathe, police said. Additional officers with the department’s Emergency Service Unit also responded and used a Power Mat Rescue Bag, which police said can lift objects weighing 17 tons, under the vehicle. The rescue bag inflated slowly, enabling the man to free himself, cops said.

A police medic assessed the man at the scene. The motorist declined additional medical treatment, cops said.