Firefighter Punches Through Sunroof to Save Trapped Woman

When Carmen Pinto's Tesla shut down in chest-high floodwater on the Jackie Robinson Parkway, she thought those would be her final moments. Then a stranger appeared on her roof and started punching through the glass with his bare hands.

Off-duty firefighter Travis Langan was driving home Wednesday when he spotted several cars submerged in rising water. One vehicle was almost completely underwater, with a woman's face pressed against the sunroof.

Langan didn't hesitate. He waded into the chest-high water, climbed onto the roof, and started punching through the glass to create an opening.

"I saw her face pressed up against the sunroof, and I just started punching, punching my way through," Langan said. He ignored the cuts on his hands and kept breaking away pieces until he could pull Pinto to safety.

Pinto, the principal of PS 81 Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School in Bed-Stuy, had been trapped as the flash flood hit. Her electric vehicle lost power completely, leaving her unable to open doors or windows as water rose inside.

She banged on the sunroof with a metal water bottle, desperately hoping someone would see her. When the water reached her chest, Pinto managed to reach a 911 dispatcher but knew help might not arrive in time.

That's when Langan appeared. After creating a hole in the sunroof, Pinto passed him her water bottle so he could break away more glass and pull her out.

"I really think that I was seconds from drowning," Pinto said at their emotional reunion Friday at FDNY Headquarters. "I thought I was going to die."

Why This Inspires

Langan was wearing Crocs in "relaxed mode" without socks because he'd forgotten to do laundry at the firehouse. He didn't have proper rescue equipment or even sport-ready footwear, yet he jumped into action anyway.

The flash flood dumped 2 inches of rain in less than an hour, creating dangerous conditions across the city. But for one Brooklyn principal, an off-duty firefighter's split-second decision meant the difference between life and death.

At the reunion, Pinto couldn't stop praising her rescuer. She told Langan's pregnant wife and daughters they should be proud, joking that Spider-Man now has competition from Queens.

Langan walked away with a bloodied hand and a story he'll never forget. Pinto walked away with her life and a renewed appreciation for everyday heroes.