Brookline police pull occupant from burning car after crash near Beacon and Washington

Brookline police officers pulled a person to safety through the window of a burning car after a crash near Beacon Street and Washington Street early this morning, police said.

The accident was reported to police around 4:27 a.m. The first officer who arrived saw the car with its front end engulfed in flames. A witness told the officer someone was trapped inside.

The officer called for Brookline fire and rescue and then struggled to open the car door, but it was inoperable, so he headed to the rear, according to his report.

Advertisement—Continue Reading Below

The officer said he broke out the back seat passenger window, hoping to get in the vehicle, but was unsuccessful.

Four other officers arrived shortly afterward and managed to pull the occupant through the front passenger window. Nobody else was found in the vehicle.

Shortly after removing the person, officers heard popping sounds and suspected the vehicle might explode. They moved the person away from the car. The blaze was extinguished by Brookline firefighters shortly afterward, according to the report.

The crash damaged several storefronts in the area and a tree.

The occupant was transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital with serious burns. The occupant remains in the hospital.

One Brookline officer sustained a cut to his right arm and was treated and released from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.