Couple In Burning Car Rescued By Heroic Teens, Unidentified Man In California

Two teens and a third good Samaritan helped save the life of a couple trapped in a burning car that crashed in Southern California. Alex Schrier and Jeffrey Bounds, both 16 and players on the Santa Margarita Catholic High School’s baseball team, spotted the vehicle in flames along a road in Orange County, when they were on their way back home.

Schrier immediately dialed 911 for help while Bounds rushed to the car along with an unidentified man who stopped to help.

Bounds said, “As I got closer I could see the flames getting closer and closer to the main part of the car, and I could hear someone screaming,” according to the New York Post.

The trio pulled the trapped passengers — a man in his mid-20s and a woman in her mid-40s — out of the burning vehicle. Details such as what caused the crash were not available.

After several trials to break the car’s sunroof with a small rock, Bounds found a bigger rock, which the unidentified man used to break the glass.

Bounds said, “We got them out and the car started to just blow up. Honestly, I’ve never been more scared.”

Both the teens were residents of Coto de Caza. They stood by until Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) crews responded and extinguished the fire.

According to the Orange County Register, OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said when the firefighters reached the spot, they found the sedan was fully engulfed in flames. They also noticed the flames were threatening vegetation nearby.

Concialdi added the two passengers were taken to Mission Hospital. The woman sustained head and shoulder injuries while the man had minor injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation, he said. Concialdi commended the quick actions of the rescuers.

He said, “All three of them played a very important role in saving those people trapped inside the burning car. Schrier had to call 911 to get our resources there so that the fire did not spread and become a bigger problem. And the other two did what they should have done,” according to the New York Post.

Bounds’ parents are proud of the two teenagers for acting quickly and to help the trapped couple.

Bounds’ father, Steve Bounds said to the Orange County Register, “They acted like you hope everybody’s going to act, but I don’t think everybody does.”

The high school plans to honor Schrier and Bounds who are pitcher and second baseman, respectively, sometime in the coming week, said Andrew Sulick, president of Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

“We’re super proud of them and we always hope that our students will make a decision like that,” said Sulick.

“If there’s a flipped car on fire, my first instinct was that they are going to die if we don’t do something,” Schrier said, as he brushed aside any notions of heroism.