Grafton man rescues passenger trapped in sinking car

A Grafton man is being hailed as a hero after his quick actions resulted in the rescue of a person trapped in a car that was sinking into the Quinsigamond River.

Chris Etre jumped into the freezing river Friday night after seeing the car crash into the river after the driver lost control on the hill due to black ice, police said. While the driver managed to escape the car, the passenger was trapped.

Etre jumped into the water, broke the rear window, and helped the passenger out of the sinking car.

Police, responding at 9:57 p.m., found both occupants out of the vehicle, which was fully submerged.

“Without his rapid intervention, the outcome could have been tragic,” Grafton Police wrote on social media.

No injuries were reported but the two people from the car were taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center for evaluation.