Tow Truck Drivers Rescue Two After Highway Crash
Two tow truck operators contracted by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) rescued two people trapped inside a utility vehicle that overturned in a creek along Interstate 295 in West Deptford on Wednesday morning.
Officials said a northbound driver struck the utility truck near Exit 22, forcing it off the highway. The vehicle narrowly missed a parked NJDOT Safety Service patrol truck before plunging down an embankment into the Hessian Run Tributary.
Johnson Specialized Towing employees John Reilly and Dalton Applegate of Burlington witnessed the crash from their tow truck around 7:30 a.m. and immediately pulled over to help. Reilly said he heard the trapped occupants sounding the horn and shouting for help.
“I kept yelling, ‘Is anyone all right? How many people are in there?’” Reilly said. He was able to pull the passenger free, but the driver was trapped by a seat belt with his face partly submerged. “The water line was just below his nose. If he opened his mouth, water went in,” Reilly said. Applegate “got me a knife and I was able to cut him out and pull him up,” he added.
Both victims were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The company praised the drivers, writing on Facebook: “In moments where every second counts, they showed courage, quick thinking, and true compassion. This is more than just a job — this is who they are.”
Emergency crews also responded to a fuel spill in the tributary.
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