SEE IT: Cop stops runaway car after motorist can’t

(NEXSTAR) – A police officer nicknamed “Roadrunner” helped a motorist avert disaster on a New York road earlier this month.

On May 14, police officers including Joe Cavalleri of the Tonawanda Police responded to reports of a car colliding with other vehicles and running red lights, sometimes while on the wrong side of the road. Police ordered the driver to pull over, but the elderly motorist was not responding.

Officers later learned that the driver was suffering a medical emergency, the department disclosed on Facebook.

In video from one of the cruiser’s dash-cams, several police vehicles can be seen driving alongside the elderly motorist’s slow-moving vehicle. Officer Cavalleri is then seen sprinting toward the car, eventually reaching the driver’s door.

Once the door is unlocked, Officer Cavalleri steps into the moving car and uses his foot to stomp the brakes.

“P.O. Joe Cavalleri (AKA Roadrunner) sprinted after the vehicle and was able to safely bring it to a stop,” the town’s police department wrote. (Town of Tonawanda Police Department)

Police in Tonawanda were not immediately available to share any further details, or comment on the condition of the elderly driver. Folks on Facebook, meanwhile, were grateful for Officer Cavalleri’s actions.

“Thank God they [were] able to bring this to a halt,” one viewer wrote.

“Great job!!! You saved him and many others,” another user wrote.