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Good Samaritans save woman from fiery vehicle
A family is searching for the good Samaritans who helped rescue a young woman from her burning car on Christmas Eve after she got locked inside. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean learns more about the moment strangers made sure she got home for the holiday.
MESA, Ariz. - One East Valley family is calling the events of last night involving a car fire and the heroic actions of strangers a Christmas Eve miracle.
The backstory:
An apparent electrical issue with a young woman's car left her stuck inside as flames and smoke became visible around her. She said as she started to panic, random strangers appeared, determined to make sure she got home on Christmas Eve.
What She's Saying:
"I'm so thankful to God and to those people," said Andi Schouten, who was pulled from the burning car.
Schouten said she was about to pull off McDowell Road onto the Loop 202 when her car shut off and she noticed smoke.
"I called my mom and I was like 'Hey, like my car is smoking, and I've tried to get out, I've tried opening the door and everything's locked,'" Schouten said.
Andi's mom, Kim Hall, told her to call 911 and immediately headed toward her trapped daughter.
"I had my son looking for her location and we couldn't see her so I just felt so helpless," Hall said.
Local perspective:
But before first responders or Hall got to the scene, Schouten said a stranger in a white truck pulled over trying to help.
"He's like ‘Your car is on fire, you need to get out,’ and I was like 'I can't get out' and I was like ‘yeah you can break my window’ and he started pounding on it with either his fist or his elbow and it just wouldn't break," Schouten said.
Soon, Schouten said there were multiple men trying to get her to safety.
"And one of them had a screwdriver or a bolt, like a drill bolt, and he smashed in my window and knocked all the glass out for me and pulled me right out," Schouten said.
Dig deeper:
They jumped into action, potentially saving Schouten's life.
"I'm so grateful to them. I didn't even think about it but my mom was saying if the gas had caught fire the car would've exploded," Schouten said.
"These men just stepped in and took over and gave me the best Christmas present. We were able to all go home as planned and open gifts together and it was just a huge blessing," Hall said.
And as a faithful family, Schouten and Hall believe there was some divine Christmas intervention taking place.
"The Lord definitely protected me, it was in his providence that I wouldn't die last night so yeah, he definitely sent those people to protect me," Schouten said.
What's next:
Schouten and Hall said the good Samaritans left the scene before they could properly thank them.
They're hoping the men may see this story and connect with them. If you were one of the helpers, you can reach out to Kim Hall on Facebook or contact FOX10.
Map of the nearby area of the incident.
The Source: This information was gathered by FOX 10's Nicole Krasean, who spoke to the victim in the burning car, and her mother, on Dec. 25.