Southwest
WATCH: Police officer, off-duty firefighter save woman from burning vehicle: 'Right place, right time'
A police officer and off-duty firefighter worked together to rescue a woman from her burning vehicle after a cement truck hit her Nissan pickup, causing it to roll over and burst into flames.
The dramatic incident happened on the U.S. 60 westbound highway near Val Vista in Arizona shortly before 7 a.m. on Feb. 18, according to Chandler Police.
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The two heroes who sprang into action, Chandler Police Motor Officer Brian Larison and Peoria off-duty firefighter Asa Paguia, are both Marine veterans and trained for situations like these, FOX 10 reported.
The fiery incident happened on the U.S. 60 highway near Val Vista in Arizona shortly before 7 a.m. on Feb. 18, according to Chandler Police. (Chandler Police Department /TMX)
Larison, who doesn’t normally commute on U.S. 60 westbound for Chandler P.D., was the first one on the scene of the fiery crash.
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“The thought of human life perishing by flames. I just, you know, I was like, ‘I cannot let this happen’,” Larison said.
To help save the woman trapped in the driver’s seat, Larison used his baton to break the window. But just as the woman began to escape, the truck fell backward onto all four tires, bodycam footage shows.
The two heroes, Chandler Police Motor Officer Brian Larison and Peoria off-duty firefighter Asa Paguia, are both Marine veterans and trained for situations like these, FOX 10 reported. (Chandler Police Department /TMX)
“Then I looked, and it was an off-duty fireman, and he’s got all his fire retardant gear on. Just right place, right time,” Larison said.
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Paguia was on his way to work at the Peoria Fire Department and was running behind schedule. He had his firefighting equipment with him because he had worked an overtime shift the day before, FOX 10 reported.
“As fate would have it, Asa had worked a partial overtime shift the day before, so he had his turnouts in the trunk of his vehicle,” Brady Casson, public information officer at the Peoria Fire Department, told Fox News Digital in an email. “When Asa saw the CPD officer and bystanders attempting to rescue the victim, he quickly put on his protective equipment and jumped into action.”
The two first responders pulled the woman out of the vehicle and saved her life. The woman’s first call was to her husband, according to FOX 10. (Chandler Police Department /TMX)
Paguia pulled the woman out of the burning vehicle, and the two first responders worked together to move her away from the site of the flames while Fire and EMS resources responded to the scene. The woman was then transported to the hospital where she is expected to make a full recovery. Her first phone call was to her husband, according to FOX 10.
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“The way we operate is we risk a lot to save a lot,” Paguia said. “So I decided it was worth the risk to get that patient out of there.”
Chandler Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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