When people think of a police chase, speeding cars and screeching tires are usually what come to mind. 

But sometimes, the scariest car on the road is slow-rolling.

That’s what happened on May 15, 2025, in Joplin, Missouri when Sergeant Nick Booe spotted a car coasting down the street at a far slower pace than the other vehicles. He drove past the car, looked in the window, and realized disaster was happening in slow motion.

The driver of the vehicle, an older man, was slumped over the steering wheel. Booe called for backup and tried to stop the car, but it just kept rolling. He knew what he had to do next.

He got out of his patrol car and chased the runaway vehicle on foot. He was able to get the door open and put the vehicle in park. The driver appeared unresponsive.

Sgt. Booe pulled him out of the car and began chest compressions until police, fire, and ambulance responders arrived on the scene seconds later. “Stay with me!” he called out to the man during CPR. “Wake up, sir!”

Thanks to the fast actions of Sgt. Booe, the man was able to regain consciousness in the ambulance and recover safely. He later called Booe to let him know it had been a heart attack, and to thank him for saving his life.

Thankfully, nobody else on the road was harmed during the incident. 

“Sgt. Booe’s observations of the traffic on the roadway and his immediate actions not only saved the life of the driver of the vehicle but likely prevented a serious motor vehicle accident,” posted the Newton County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook, alongside the dashcam video.

Booe has not commented on his heroic rescue effort, but his reaction was captured by the dashcam footage. “He’s got a pulse. Good job, man,” a colleague told him. His response: “Right place right time I guess – the Lord puts us here for a reason.”