‘Very emotional’: Off-duty volunteer firefighter reunites with family after rescue from fiery crash

MENALLEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Volunteer firefighter, 2nd Lt. Jay Brooks, went back to the site where he daringly rescued a mother and her six children following a fiery car crash a week and a half ago.

PHOTOS: 8 people, including 6 children, injured in Menallen Township car crash

Brooks, who volunteers with Luzerne Township Volunteer Fire Company, was off duty when he was on his way home on Oct. 6. He said he waiting to make a left turn onto Upper Middletown Road when he saw a car coming up quickly toward him.

“It came barreling down,” he said.

Brooks said that the driver blew through a red light at the intersection of Route 51 and Upper Middletown Road, t-boned a family’s van full of children, then caught fire seconds later.

“Right after the impact, his car was on fire,” Brooks said. “He jumped out right away.”

Without hesitation, Brooks sprang into action.

“When I witnessed that, I automatically jumped into first responder mode,” said Brooks.

The mother, who was driving the van, and six of her children inside were hurt. The youngest child is just 3-and-a-half months old.

“A lot of screaming, a lot of commotion going on,” Brooks said.

The mother was holding her nine-year-old daughter in the driver’s seat.

“The driver was screaming, ‘Help; my daughter’s not breathing,’” Brooks said.

That’s when the volunteer firefighter gave the little girl CPR, saving her life. He then ran back to the van and pulled the rest of the kids out through a broken window.

“People were asking if they could help and I told them, ‘Listen, I’m going to hand you kids,” said Brooks.

The little girl needed surgery on her face.

“I know for fact it’s a long road of recovery for them,” Brooks said.

A couple of days after the 9-year-old was out of the hospital, Brooks said she was asking to meet who she was calling her “hero.” They did for the first time over the weekend.

“Very emotional,” Brooks said of their reunion. “She was touching. It was very sweet to see her. She was up, bouncing around.”

She might not have had that moment if Brooks wasn’t there at that exact time when her family needed him the most.

“As first responders, it’s a job that we put ourselves on the line to go do, and I’ll continue doing it,” Brooks said. “I’ll do it for anybody that needs help.”

The driver who crashed into the van is expected to face charges.

The family, meantime, is still asking for help for the medical expenses they’re starting to rack up. If you’d like to help, you can donate to tjam15425@yahoo.com on PayPal, 724-963-0707 on Zelle.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group