READING, MASS. (WHDH) - A man rescued a woman from a car crash in Reading Monday after police said the car crashed into a pole and caught fire.

The crash happened on Salem Street. Brandon Finnen said he was at a Memorial Day barbecue nearby when he heard the crash and found the car on fire. Finnen said the driver’s niece had gotten out of the car but was unable to open the driver’s door to save her aunt, 54-year-old Laura McCaffrey. Finnen said he could not break open the window with his hand.

Finnen said he heard a woman scream and when he turned around, neighbor Joan Ripa threw him a baseball bat and he was able to smash through the window.

“I have baseball bats everywhere because of a grandson and I threw it to him, I wouldn’t even dare get out of the house, that’s how bad the fire was. It was coming up, he didn’t care,” said Ripa.

Finnen and another man managed to get McCaffrey out and drag her across the street to safety. McCaffrey’s son, Moses Serrano, said she suffered a seizure while driving. She was taken to the hospital and treated for a broken foot. Serrano said he is very grateful for everyone who came to his mother’s rescue.

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