Hero cop who rescued teens from fiery crash says officers 'do stuff just like this every day'
— -- Two Milwaukee police officers are being hailed as heroes after they dragged teenagers from a fiery, overturned, car on Tuesday night during a harrowing incident that was caught on camera.
Officers Nicholas Schlei and Nicholas Reid were on patrol when they witnessed a car strike a utility pole and eventually burst into flames, according to a statement from the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD).
"You guys back up, car's on fire, back up!" one officer can be heard screaming in video footage released by the MPD as he approached the vehicle.
"Officers Schlei, Reid, and other officers from District Four risked their own lives and pulled the driver, a 16-year-old Milwaukee male, and another teenage male passenger from the car," the MPD statement said. "A third teenage male passenger from the vehicle was located nearby."
Schlei and Reid will both be nominated for an MPD Merit Award, "and the Department is grateful for their heroic actions," the statement added.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Schlei said the community's response to their actions has been "overwhelming."
"We knew that we were put in a position to help, and that we were able to do that, and I was thankful that it turned out the way it did, and wasn't expecting anything else regarding it," Schlei said.
Reid echoed his partner's sentiments, saying they were just doing their job.
"Officers all over the states, the United States, they do stuff just like this every day, that aren't recognized, or whose stories aren't told," Reid told reporters.
Reid and Schlei have both been with the MPD for two-and-a-half years, they said Wednesday, and have been partners for one-and-a-half years.
The driver of the vehicle and the two passengers were transported to a local hospital, and the driver will be cited for failure to yield and reckless driving, according to the MPD.
