John Tashian of Nick's Towing Service Photo Credit: Nick Testa (Nick's Towing Service)

Our operator, John Jay "JJ" Tashjian was traveling northbound on the NJ Turnpike, returning from delivering a truck to Newark, NJ in the early morning hours of Sunday, January 23, 2022, when he noticed a vehicle that crashed off the roadway and came to rest in a tall grassy area approximately 50 feet into the meadows beginning to burn. He was the first person on the scene and immediately contacted Nick's Towing dispatch who in turn contacted NJ Turnpike Operations and informed them of the situation. John Jay ran to the burning car and rescued the driver from the vehicle by pulling him out and getting him to safety and warmth inside his tow truck. Once they were clear of the vehicle, it became fully engulfed in flames. Turnpike Operations were updated as to the severity of the situation as the tall grass around the vehicle was beginning to catch fire. The NJ State Police, Kearny Fire Department as well as EMS were expedited to the scene. Once the fire was extinguished and the owner of the vehicle was being administered assistance by the EMS, the Nick's Towing team recovered the vehicle back onto the roadway, where it was safely loaded onto a flatbed and transported to Nick's Towing Service. 

"I couldn't be more proud of John Jay's efforts." remarks Nicholas F. Testa, owner. "He is a courageous young man. In this day and age when most people would simply drive by a scenario like this, he instead jumped into action and put himself in jeopardy to save another person. Towing operators don't get nearly the respect they deserve for coming to the aid of the motoring public day or night, 24/7 no matter what the weather or scenario, oftentimes in precarious situations. John Jay took what he does every day and stepped it up even more by coming to the aid of a complete stranger. I would like to remind everyone to please follow the law and Slow Down and Move Over when you see one of my people, or any tower, police officer, EMS, fire department personnel or construction worker, working on the side of the road. They all deserve to stay safe too." 

CLOSE CALL: Hero Tow Truck Driver Rescues Motorist From Burning Sedan On NJ Turnpike | Rutherford Daily Voice