Man Pulled From Burning SUV Thanks Good Samaritan

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minnesota man pulled from his burning car is getting the chance to thank the man he calls his hero.

Michael Johannes was trapped inside his SUV after it caught fire Sunday night on 35W in New Brighton. He frantically tried to free himself, but the doors wouldn't open.

Suddenly, he heard glass shatter and then a man pulled him out. That man was Minnesota Air National Guardsman Bob Renning.

He bent the door frame with his bare hands, shattering the window.

On Tuesady, Johannes got to thank Renning in person for the first time since the heroic rescue.

"I know what it's like to be without a father," he said. "My father died when I was young, and I would never want my daughter to have that feeling, and I've got to thank [Renning]."