Parramatta Eels coach Jason Ryles described the intense moments when he rescued a woman trapped inside a car that had overturned and caught fire. The incident occurred on Thursday night as Ryles was traveling home to Wollongong with his family after his team's 32-12 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Ryles noticed the burning vehicle on New Mount Pleasant Road at Mount Ousley. He stopped his car further down the road to shield his children from the scene before returning to assist other bystanders. He described the experience as frightening, stating, "I won't lie, I s**t myself, and it was pretty scary."
Dramatic photographs captured Ryles reaching into the vehicle to help extract the woman. "There was a guy already there. He smashed the back window with a Yeti bottle, then I grabbed the girl out of the car," Ryles told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I went from thinking about a footy game to me thinking, 'If we didn't get here in time, this girl could have been in all sorts of trouble'."
The woman, who was reportedly on her way home from work, was in shock but appeared to be unharmed. The car was fully engulfed in flames shortly after the rescue.
Upon arriving at the scene, police reportedly made lighthearted remarks to Ryles about the game. Earlier, Ryles had been visibly frustrated during the match, seen on television cameras throwing his walkie-talkie in reaction to his team's performance, which marked their 10th loss of the season. He had described the loss as "disappointing."