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Driver stuck in snow burns to death after repeatedly revving SUV's engine.

A New Jersey man was killed in a fire after repeatedly revving his SUV's engine while trying to get out of a snowbank, authorities said.

Shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, police in Little Ferry said officers responded to a report of a car getting stuck in a pile of snow after going down an embankment near Losen Slote Creek Park, about 10 miles northwest of New York City.

Little Ferry police Capt. Ronald Klein told NBC News on Thursday that two officers found a 62-year-old driver repeatedly revving up the engine and rocking his Mazda SUV back and forth to dislodge the vehicle from the snow.

He said officers told the man to stop accelerating to no avail before telling him they were returning to their vehicle to call for a tow truck. While walking back to their vehicle, the officers heard a popping sound and saw the SUV catch fire.

The officers tried to get into the vehicle, but Klein said the doors were locked. After several attempts to break into the SUV, one officer eventually broke the rear passenger window.

At that point, Klein said the vehicle was engulfed in flames and smoke, forcing officers to retreat to a safe distance from the SUV.

The driver's name has not been released, but his family has been notified, according to police.

The Little Ferry Police Department and the Bergen County’s Prosecutor’s Office will oversee the investigation.

The fiery crash was one of multiple deadly incidents during a major winter storm that suspended flights, cut electricity, and closed schools and Covid-19 vaccination sites across the Northeast.

A man in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, shot a couple in his neighborhood in a murder-suicide over a snow removal dispute on Monday morning.

In Allentown, Pennsylvania, a 67-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease died of hypothermia after wandering away from her home, NBC Philadelphia reported. Her body was found four blocks away on Monday morning.

In Adamstown, Maryland, a 64-year-old man died after riding on the back of a recycling services truck he was riding on the back of overturned on an icy roadway around noon Monday, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said.

And two people — a 69-year-old woman and a 42-year-old woman — died in Pennsylvania in separate incidents on Sunday, state police said. The 42-year-old woman died in a crash during the snowstorm in Tioga County, and the other 69-year-old crashed in slick conditions during snow in Bucks County.

Source: https://www.msn.com
 
Terrible news. I wonder why the driver didn't listen to the cops' instructions?

"a 62-year-old driver"

My guess the guy "knew better" or "just about got it..." or simply hearing difficulties.

That triple laminate side window really is difficult to break as discussed before:

 
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Terrible news. I wonder why the driver didn't listen to the cops' instructions?
I wonder how there could be multiple cops on scene, before/during/after the fire, and still not be able to get the man out.

Officers "retreated a safe distance from the SUV" and watched the guy burn to death?
 
I think there has to be something more that will come out about this tragedy. This doesn't make a lot of sense, based on what has been reported thus far.
 
I think placing blame on the cops at this point is premature. We weren’t there and the circumstances may have been extraordinary. Vehicle fires can be extremely fast developing and when a window is finally broken to gain entrance to the cabin, the rush of oxygen to the fire may make it explode out of control. Likely the driver was unconscious at this point also.

- Mark
 
I wonder why it caught on fire. I would think a mechanical component would have broke and stopped the engine if he was redlining it, before the engine burst into flames.
 
This article has a little more detail. The fire started underneath the car. I speculate that he blew a gasket and the escaping oil caught fire from the heat of the over revved engine, or even more likely as someone mentioned, the tires could have caught on fire.

 
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I wonder how there could be multiple cops on scene, before/during/after the fire, and still not be able to get the man out.

Officers "retreated a safe distance from the SUV" and watched the guy burn to death?

They're cops, not firefighters. They probably didn't have any training or experience dealing with a situation quite like this one, and they definitely didn't have the gear for it. I don't think anyone was prepared for a fire.
 
IMO if the engine caught fire, it has to be fuel leak related. Looks like It has 17” wheels (Sport? Touring?) and it has to be a 2.5L. How is possible a CX-5 with pretty good ground clearance could get stuck by a parking lot concrete divider?

A good thing sometimes has unexpected bad result. Acoustic front windows with added layers are good for soundproofing insulation; but apparently they’re harder to break in to save the driver.

Hopefully this 62-year-old Little Ferry resident was not a member here in this forum ⋯
 
Sad news.

Also a little disconcerting to hear that in an emergency the newer CX-5 windows may be hard to break out. I'd rather have a little more noise in the cabin..
 
Possibly. If it were me, I would’ve opened the door and escaped where the flames were the lowest.
 
My guess is the same as Unobtanium's.
Fuel leak plus heat generated from repetitive revving/tire spinning ignited the vehicle.
Sad news to hear.
 
IMO if the engine caught fire, it has to be fuel leak related. Looks like It has 17” wheels (Sport? Touring?) and it has to be a 2.5L. How is possible a CX-5 with pretty good ground clearance could get stuck by a parking lot concrete divider?

A good thing sometimes has unexpected bad result. Acoustic front windows with added layers are good for soundproofing insulation; but apparently they’re harder to break in to save the driver.

Hopefully this 62-year-old Little Ferry resident was not a member here in this forum ⋯
Police in Little Ferry say a public works employee called shortly after 9am on Wednesday to report a car had gone down a slight embankment and became lodged in the snow.
 
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Based on the driver ignoring both officers banging on his window, as well as the fire, I would also say substances were involved that altered his mentation.
 
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