Bodycam video shows 'miracle' rescue of Indiana man trapped in truck for nearly a week
Matthew Reum, 27, on road to recovery and has reunited with rescuers
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Police in Indiana have released body camera footage that show the rescue of a man who was trapped in his truck for nearly a week.
The six separate videos, released to FOX 32 Chicago, show perspectives from five different officers during the rescue of 27-year-old Matt Reum on Dec. 26, 2023.
"I've never seen something like this before, ever," one of the Portage Police Department's officers can be heard saying in one of the videos that shows the mangled truck under a bridge, surrounded by running water.
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Video shows first responders using tools to help extricate Reum, while officers try to piece together how the crash happened.
Reum was heading westbound on Interstate 94 on Dec. 20 when his truck swerved off the road and into a ditch before going airborne, rolling several times and ending up in a creek underneath a bridge, according to preliminary investigations.
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The crash caused Reum to become pinned inside the truck, unable to reach for his cellphone and call for help.
Six days later, two fishermen searching for fishing holes located a truck under the overpass with what appeared to be a dead body inside. When one of the men touched the body, he was in for a shock when Reum turned his head and spoke.
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"Officials said the recent mild weather in northern Indiana, which is typically closer to freezing this time of year, likely helped Reum survive his ordeal," FOX Weather reported.
"Quite frankly, it’s a miracle that he’s alive," Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said.
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Reum is not only on the road to recovery, but has reunited with the good Samaritans who found him and the first responders who rescued him, FOX 32 reported.
"You guys turned an ordinary person who had a miracle happen and made him the most grateful person ever, and I cannot thank you enough," Reum wrote on Facebook New Year's Eve. "While me living through this, in and of itself, is a Christmas miracle, the generosity I have been shown has grown my heart three sizes this year."
Fox News' Greg Wehner and Landon Mion contributed to this report.