Strangers lift car off Huntington man

A group of strangers came to the aid of a Huntington man Thursday after a car he had jacked up and crawled under came down on top of him, police said.

The men got together and lifted the car off Jose Rios, 47, and pulled him out from underneath, Suffolk police said.

Police arrived a few minutes later and an ambulance took Rios to Huntington Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The incident happened just before 6 p.m. Thursday after Rios had pulled over on Madison Street, alongside Heckscher Park in Huntington, because he had heard some unusual muffler noises, police said.

Charles Schulz, 30, of Huntington Station, said he was near the park with his wife and their newborn child when he heard Rios and went over, along with four or five others.

"We heard a screaming sound, and the sound of him hitting the side of the car, trying to make as much noise as possible," Schulz said.

Johnny Greenlaw, 37, of Huntington, a documentary filmmaker, was riding his bicycle when he saw the commotion around the car, a 1993 Toyota Corolla.

"I just saw someone's legs sticking out from under the car," Greenlaw said. "He was losing his breath. The weight of the car was right on his chest and face. . . . I just said, 'One, two, three, lift!' and some others pulled him out."

None in the group knew each other, Greenlaw said. "All strangers. Just a group of people that came together to help this guy -- just good Samaritans."

Schulz, a Commack High School English teacher, said: "He should be thankful it was a very nice day and there were people in the area.

"It's what you see in the movies. We just came together and did what needed to be done."