Hero Cop Saves Driver From Burning Car After Police Chase

A heroic police officer pulled a driver out of a burning car after the Long Island man crashed into a tree following a seven-mile police pursuit.

Suffolk County police arrested Jason Martin, 29, of Mastic, at the hospital where he was being treated following his crash into a wooded area in Riverhead just after 11 p.m. Wednesday.

The chase began when Officer Scott Jensen noticed Martin driving erratically on a highway in Eastport and attempted to pull him over. Martin accelerated and led Jensen on a high-speed pursuit that covered about seven miles and lasted five minutes, police said.

Ultimately, Martin lost control of his 1990 Chrysler and crossed over the median divider several times before crashing into the wooded area on the east side of County Road 51, police said. The car burst into flames upon impact, and the driver side door was pinned against a tree, leaving Martin trapped inside the burning vehicle.

Quick to react, Jensen pulled Martin out of the vehicle through the passenger side door. The driver was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Jensen was not injured in the pursuit or rescue operations.
 
Martin was arrested and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and unlawful fleeing of a police officer.
 
It was not immediately clear if Martin had a lawyer, nor when he would be arraigned.

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