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Southeast Man Faces DWI Charge Following Car Crash, Fire

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office provided the following information. It does not indicate a conviction.

Emergency responders transported two men—one of whom was pulled from flames by a police officer—to the hospital after a recent accident on Milltown Road.

The accident occurred around 4:15 a.m. Sunday, when a 2004 Hyundai ran off the road and flipped before catching fire, according to a report from the . Police identified the driver as 23-year-old Jerry J. Fortugno of Southeast.

Deputy Sheriff Keith Blessing arrived on the scene first, following a 911 call from a neighbor who heard the single-vehicle crash and saw the fire that followed. He found a 21-year-old Southeast man standing outside the car, police say.

"[He] told the deputy that he was riding as a passenger in the car, and that the driver was still inside," the release states. "Blessing pulled Mr. Fortugno out of the burning car."

Members of the and the also responded. Officials transported the men, both of whom reportedly complained of head and neck pain, to . There, police charged Fortugno, who allegedly showed signs of intoxication, with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. He is due in Town of Southeast Court March 8.

Jack Benstick February 28, 2012 at 11:31 pm
Really?? is that how it happened, Deputy Sheriff Keith Blessing pulled the man from the car? Wow, I heard Fortugno kicked the window out and got out of the car on his own before "SUPER COP" Deputy Sheriff Keith Blessing even got on the scene. So does this happen often, do cops lie on their official police reports to make themselves heros?

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