A Suffolk County police officer pulled an alleged drunken driver from his car that was engulfed in flames after the suspect crashed near his Ridge home early Saturday morning, authorities said.
Police said Andrew Harvanek, 55, was driving a Mazada on Randall Road when he lost control of the car and crashed into a tree just north of Middle Country Road shortly before 1 a.m.
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Witnesses told investigators that Harvanek exited the car and then collapsed before the Mazda burst into flames, according to police. The officer pulled Harvanek away from the vehicle and dragged him to safety, police said.
He was taken to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Ridge Fire Department extinguished the car fire.
Harvanek was charged with driving while intoxicated after he was released from the hospital. He will be arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Central Islip.
