Man had no pulse — but cop, off-duty chief broke window to save him

WHARTON — Demarest's off-duty police chief and a Wharton officer are credited with saving the life of a man who lost consciousness behind the wheel of his car.

Wharton Police said Demarest Chief James Powderley used his own vehicle to block the man's 2014 Jeep, parked on West Dewey Avenue — with the 70-year-old inside, his foot on the brake and the Jeep in gear.

Police said that when officer Sean Mahar arrived he gave the chief a halligan extrication bar to break the window so they could get to the man inside. They realized the man did not have a pulse and removed him from the Jeep, police said. Powderley began applying for CPR while Mahar used an automated external defibrillators to revive him according to police.

The man was taken to Saint Claire's Hospital in Denville where his condition was improving, police said.