INDIANAPOLIS — A car caught fire Thursday afternoon near the entrance of a north Indianapolis church.
Video shared with 13News shows the silver passenger car on fire in front of the Second Presbyterian Church in the 7700 block of North Meridian Street shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday.
A woman was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
According to IFD, two IMPD officers were in a parking lot at the church when the crash occurred and ran to rescue the driver. Officers Aaron Duncan and Holly Armstrong pulled the semi-conscious woman from the car and laid her in the grass nearby. Armstrong, who is also an EMT, provided emergency care to the woman while Duncan tried to extinguish the fire, IFD said.
Both officers joined the department in March 2023, according to IFD Batallion Chief Rita Reith.
Firefighters arrived on scene and extinguished the fire before it could get inside the church.
A few members of the church were inside the building when the crash happened, but didn't know about it until they were notified later, IFD said.
Duncan was taken to the hospital to be checked for a slight injury to his hand.
Police investigators estimate the car drove off the road near the Meridian Street entrance to the parking lot and drove about 100 yards before striking the church.
It is not known what caused the driver to leave the road, according to IFD.