The new year could have begun tragically when, in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2007, a flaming car came to a halt in the heart of Saint Louis University’s campus. The vehicle’s disoriented occupants refused to leave and were only saved due to the efforts of several SLU public safety officers. Sergeant Mark Harris, the officer who first spotted the vehicle and led the rescue, received a letter of commendation for his bravery.

At 2 a.m., soon after the end of New Year’s Eve festivities in Midtown, Harris exited DuBourg Hall and headed toward his patrol car. He soon noticed a Pontiac Grand Am engulfed in flames, speeding south on Grand Boulevard; it came to a rolling stop at the crosswalk that connects the two sides of campus.

“It was like a scene out of The Fast and the Furious,” Harris said.

After seeing that neither of the two occupants was making any attempt to escape, Harris approached the vehicle, opened the driver-side door and told the men to exit. The driver responded by mumbling unintelligibly and insisting that the car was not actually on fire.

“The driver’s speech was slurred, and he clearly had no idea what was going on,” Harris said.

Harris next pulled the struggling driver out of the car. He singed the hair on his hand in the process. The second occupant, who had been in the front passenger seat, then exited the vehicle, pushed Harris and challenged him to a fight. During the tussle, the driver left Harris’ control and attempted to re-enter the burning vehicle.

Several other public safety officers-Richard Horton, Dan Lalor, Mark Daniels and Kevin Aycox-soon joined the scene and helped Harris restrain and handcuff the passenger and driver. At that point, the car was billowing smoke, which set off a fire alarm in DuBourg Hall. The St. Louis City Fire Department arrived shortly afterward and put out the fire.

“It is shocking that the two men in the vehicle didn’t realize what was [happening], didn’t even realize that their car was on fire and didn’t appreciate what we were doing to help them,” Harris said.

The Department of Public Safety later discovered that the car had broken through a traffic barrier at Lindell Boulevard and Grand Boulevard. The impact had broken the fuel tank and the scraping against the rough metal barricade may have ignited the fire. The car also struck a pedestrian, though he escaped serious injury.

St. Louis City Police Department officers arrested both the passenger and driver. The driver was later charged with driving under the influence, with a blood-alcohol level of .174 and for leaving the scene of an accident. Harris reports that the driver had several active city warrants and a criminal history.

“It was a very strange situation,” Harris said. “I’ve never had to arrest someone after saving their life. I look at it as a giving them a big favor.”

Public Safety Director Jack Titone later sent Harris a letter of commendation for his bravery and outstanding performance.

“It was very heroic of Harris to go to the assistance of the people in that vehicle and risk his own safety in the process,” Titone said.