WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Police in Wilkes-Barre are investigating what led to the fiery crash on Park Avenue Sunday night, but people who know the area say drivers often speed down that busy street.
Jay Fernandez of Wilkes-Barre just happened to be at the right place at the right time after a car crashed into van parked outside a home on Park Avenue and caught fire.
"I was going to smoke a cigarette at my girlfriend's house, and as soon as I opened the door, I noticed a car just slide and go right into a white van, a white utility work van," said Fernandez.
Fernandez shot video with his phone. You can hear him yelling to people to stay back.
"I actually worked on cars the majority of my life, and I could tell that the fire reached the fuel injectors and was starting to reach fuel lines, and if it had been about five more minutes, the car probably would've blew."
Immediately after the crash, Jay sprang into action and ran across the street to help two of the victims into his home to wait for EMS to arrive.
"Noticed two young girls, they got out of the car and aimlessly didn't know what was going on. My children and my girlfriend's children came outside and got the two girls to come inside and talk with them because they were really shook up," he said.
In the daylight, the scene on Park Avenue shows little evidence of the crash the night before except for some broken glass and a fire extinguisher used by a neighbor to try to put out the flames.
Fernandez says he and his neighbors were more worried about the driver and the two passengers than themselves.
"You pay attention to the safety of your surroundings, but you also make sure that the people are taken care of. The instant thing was, 'is there anybody in the car that's going to be hurt?'"
While it's still unclear what led to the crash, Fernandez says many drivers here go too fast.
"Lot of people race down that street, they seem to think that it's the Pocono Speedway. People need to slow down on that street, it's not a raceway, it's not a thoroughfare to get to wherever you want to get as fast as you possibly can. Every single day, people are speeding up and down that street."