A New City woman, who wishes to remain unidentified, said she helped Joseph Bruno, also of New City, after he smashed his car into a tree off the Garden State Parkway in Washington Township, NJ on Thursday morning. The woman, who has two children in their young twenties, said she was the first person to stop after the accident and ran over to the car and held Bruno’s head until help arrived.
She did not see the accident occur but but knew something had happened when the cars in front of her jammed on their brakes. She pulled over as soon as she saw what had happened.
“Nobody was stopping,” she said. “The mother instinct in me just took over and I just ran over.”
She said the 25-year-old was in and out of consciousness and could only tell her his first name. The woman said a retired female EMT also stopped and began checking his vital signs until paramedics arrived. NJ State Police Sgt. Adam Grossman reported Bruno was charged with DUI and possession of prescription drugs. Grossman said Bruno was reportedly driving erratically on the southbound side of the highway before the accident, when he swerved off the road into the center median, and his car struck a tree at about 9:55 a.m.
The experience upset the woman because of its similarity to a family member’s experience. She said she hopes the young man makes a full recovery and gets the help he needs.
“It was horrific,” she said. “It’s every parent’s nightmare.”
She said she did not think twice about stopping to help. She had done the same thing when she witnessed a car accident in Rockland County and ran over to assist one of the victims.
