Mechanic rescues two kids from burning car

Vincent Bakker, a 26-year-old mechanic from Spijkenisse, rescued a baby and a toddler from a burning car on the A20 in Schiedam on Thursday morning. The police released a video of this act of heroism.

Bakker was driving his company van when he noticed the Audi A6 standing on the highway's shoulder with fire coming from the exhaust, he told newspaper AD. He did not hesitate for a second. "I threw my van on the shoulder and ran to the car. The children's mother got out, she hadn't realized the car was on fire. Only smelled smoke. She was shocked and screamed, my children, my children!" Bakker said tot he newspaper.

The mother pulled on the car door, but it wouldn't open. Bakker did not hesitate and punched out the window with his bare fist. "I saw no other possibility. Fortunately the window broke right away." After a bit of a struggle Bakker managed to pull out the baby in the car seat at put it safely in his van.

But the other child was still in the car and the fire was taking hold. Police officers, who arrived at the scene in the mean time, were struggling to break a window on the other side. "I remembered that I had tools with me. I got 22 milimeters pliers from my van and smashed the rear window. Officers were able to pull the 3-year-old child out."

Moments later the car went up in flames. "I really don't think these children would have survived without my help." They sustained some minor glass wounds from the breaking windows, but are otherwise unharmed. "I myself only have a small cut in my hand from smashing the glass."

Meanwhile, reactions are streaming in. Bakker hasn't spoken to the mother again. "Her partner called me. Sunday I'm visiting the family in Rotterdam Ommoord, but he thanked me a thousand times."