Eagan Honors 3 Strangers Who Pulled a Man From a Burning SUV

TLDR

• Eagan Police gave three men the Citizen Lifesaving Award at the Sept. 15, 2026 city council meeting.
• On June 29, they pulled a trapped man out of a burning SUV near Lone Oak Road and I-35E.
• They broke a window with a wheel assembly after rocks and debris didn't work.
• Two of them were cut and burned. The rescued man is still in the hospital.

The Eagan City Council meeting on Sept. 15 was short. But the few minutes Eagan Police Chief Salim Omari spent at the podium were some of the most powerful we've heard at city hall. He honored three men who ran toward a burning car to save a stranger. Here's their story.

What Happened on June 29

It was just after midnight on June 29. An SUV came off northbound I-35E at Lone Oak Road in Eagan, left the road, and hit a traffic signal pole. Within moments, it was on fire. The chief said flames were climbing 15 feet into the sky.

The driver, a 28-year-old woman, died. "Our hearts remain with her family," Chief Omari said. A man was trapped inside, pleading for help.

The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash.

Three Strangers, One Decision

Here's the part that gets you. None of these guys were supposed to be there.

Oliver was driving a shuttle bus. He was on a road he doesn't normally take. "A different night, a different route, and he's not there," the chief said. But that night, Oliver saw the flames. He stopped the bus and turned to his passenger, Trino. He said three words: "Let's go help."

At that same moment, Thomas was driving by in his car. He saw the fire too. He made the same choice, all on his own.

"Three strangers converging on a burning car for a man none of them had ever met," Chief Omari said.

How They Got Him Out

They didn't know if anyone else was inside. They didn't know if they'd make it in time. They went anyway.

Trino got the back window open and tried to reach in. The heat was too much. So they moved to the front passenger window. They grabbed whatever they could find. Rocks. Debris. Pieces of the wreck. Nothing worked.

Then they picked up a wheel assembly. They told the man to get back, and they swung. The window shattered.

Trino reached in one more time, with Oliver and Thomas right next to him. Together, they pulled the man out and carried him away from the flames. Police hadn't even arrived yet. "A moment later and undoubtedly it would have been too late," the chief said.

They Paid a Price Too

This wasn't a clean rescue. Thomas got cuts and burns on his hands. Trino got cuts and second-degree burns (the kind that blister and go deeper than the top layer of skin).

The man they saved was badly burned. As of the Sept. 15 meeting, he's still in the hospital, "struggling for his life," according to Chief Omari.

Norma Chavez was also in the room. The chief said her family is still going through a really hard time. "Ma'am, we remain praying for your family, for his recovery," he told her.

"They Had No Duty Here at All"

Chief Omari's speech was built around one word: courage. He said there's a kind of courage "that costs nothing," the kind you talk about or tell yourself you'd have. Most people never find out if they really do.

"On June 29th, just after midnight here in Eagan, three men got their answer," he said.

The Eagan Police Department's policy is to recognize "conspicuous bravery," meaning action above and beyond what duty requires. But that's the thing. These guys had no duty.

"No badge, no obligation, nothing asking it of them except what was in front of them, and they gave themselves anyway," the chief said.

He closed with this: "Oliver, Trino, Thomas, we may never know if we'd have done what you did. But you know."

The mayor followed up with a simple thanks. "Thanks so much for giving of yourself that way and being a neighbor," he said.

Omari was sworn in as Eagan's police chief in December 2025. This is the kind of recognition that shows up a lot around the south metro lately. Rosemount did something similar this spring with its house fire rescue lifesaving awards. Eagan has honored its own heroes before too, like with the women veterans statue dedication.

The Bottom Line

Three people who didn't know each other made a split-second choice to run toward a fire. Because of that, a man got a chance to survive. Eagan Police made sure they got credit for it.

If you use the Lone Oak Road exit off I-35E, you drive past this spot. Maybe give it a second thought next time. And the chief had a simple ask for anyone who wants to support first responders: "If you see an officer, thank them. If you're prayerful, pray for them." You can also see how crashes play out in other south metro cities in our Lakeville police crash and safety report. For more on the crash itself, check out Patch's coverage of the June 29 crash and FOX 9's report from that night.