Officer’s Bodycam Captures Moment He Pulls Frightened Dog From Burning Car

A Colorado police officer is being hailed a hero after he rescued a frightened pup from a burning car last month, with the clip going viral on social media in recent days.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Gregorek was dispatched to the scene of a “vehicle fire” Jan. 22.

“Once I arrived on scene, first thing I see is a gentleman who ended up being the owner of the vehicle, and the owner of the dog, throwing something at the back of the vehicle,” Gregorek said, noting he originally thought the man was throwing a “Molotov cocktail” before the owner alerted the officer that his dog was in the car.

“My thought at that point was ‘he’s coming out with me regardless of whatever else might be happening,'” he said.

Video footage from Gregorek’s bodycam shows the deputy running up to the scene as the owner frantically tried to rescue his dog. Gregorek smashes one side window open before breaking open the back window of the SUV with his baton. The dog, named Hank, then made his way to the back window, salivating as his owner struggled to lift him out of the car. Thankfully, Gregorek was able to pull the frightened dog out. (RELATED: Police Try To Corral Dog Running On Highway, Soon Find Its Owner Was Ejected From Truck Crash)

“Hank comes to the back window, he’s salivating, you can tell he’s in distress,” Gregorek said. “[The] owner was trying to pull him out, not successfully.”

“That’s his baby, I’m not going to get in his way while he’s trying to rescue his baby but the second he opens up an opening for me I just went in there and grabbed on and his body had already started to tense up, so I knew he was really in a bad way.”

Gregorek then brought Hank to the snow, where the thankful pooch was seen jumping around with his tail wagging. A neighbor whose wife is a veterinarian checked Hank out and said he was OK.