Coppell Man Called a Hero After Crash

A Coppell man is being called a hero after he jumped into action after a sports utility vehicle crashed into a New Jersey jewelry store.

Anthony Baynard's heroics were caught on the store's surveillance cameras.

The video showed a car crashing through the front window of Jay Roberts Jewelers in Marlton, New Jersey.

Glass shattered and jewelry cases were tossed when the SUV crashed into the building on July 30.

"Neither one of us saw it but heard it and it sounded like an explosion," said store employee Olivia Pantalone. "The car was still coming, I just started to scream 'shut it off, shut it off.'"

Baynard, a fitness consultant from Coppell, was working at a nearby fitness center and sprang into action when he saw the crash.

First he removed the driver's foot from gas pedal and turned off the ignition.

"She said, 'Young man, did I kill anybody?' what I told her, not even knowing, is that, 'No ma'am everybody is fine,'" said Baynard who wanted to keep the elderly driver calm.

Store employee Joan Morein was trapped under the jewelry cases.

"She was laying there pretty motionless, I actually froze," said store owner Jake Spigelman. "I thought she was dead under there."

Baynard pulled the jewelry cases off Morein and carried her out of the rubble.

He returned to lift Pantalone out of the debris but broken glass had sliced her arm, Baynard wrapped her wrist and told her to keep her hands elevated as he guided her out of the store.

"I was losing a lot of blood. He did save my life. He acted very quickly and very unselfishly," said Pantalone.

On Tuesday Baynard received a hero proclamation from Evesham Township.

"If it wasn't for him I don't know if I would be here. He was only in New Jersey for one day, so thank God," said Pantalone.

The jewelry store presented him with a wristwatch with the words "To our hero" engraved on the back.