Davis police officer recounts rescuing driver from burning car on I-80

A Davis police officer is being recognized for rescuing another driver from a burning vehicle, marking the second time in six years he has pulled someone from a car engulfed in flames.

Officer Pheng Ly, a 27-year veteran of the department, was responding to a report of a vehicle fire on Interstate 80 when he arrived to find a car that had crashed and caught fire with the driver still trapped inside.

"I can see the flames through the windshield, and I can feel the heat," Ly said.

Body camera video captured the dramatic rescue as flames spread from the engine toward the interior of the vehicle.

"I pull out my pocketknife and I actually smashed the window four times," Ly said.

The crash happened in the fast lane of the freeway, with other vehicles continuing to pass by. Ly said he knew he had to act quickly.

"In an incident like this, seconds absolutely count because we don't know what's going to happen to the vehicle, we don't know what's going to happen to the fire, it could explode," he said.

Ly, who works the graveyard shift as a corporal, said the crash happened in the early morning hours following a busy Halloween night. He said the driver had been drinking in downtown Davis and was heading home when he lost control of the vehicle.

For Ly, the rescue brought back memories of a similar incident in 2020.

"For a split second, I had this feeling of deja vu," he said.

In that incident, Ly rescued a woman from a vehicle that had rolled over and caught fire on the same freeway. She was also suspected of being intoxicated.

Ly received the department's Lifesaving Commendation for that rescue, represented by a red ribbon on his uniform. He has also been recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his efforts to enforce DUI laws.

Ly said the two rescues underscore the dangers of driving under the influence.

"This is what we're trying to prevent. As a police officer we want to get the drunk drivers off the road before they crash and cause a situation like this," he said.

The driver in the latest crash was identified as 22-year-old Aidan Vandegrift. He was treated at a local hospital before being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.