A New Jersey state assemblyman was in the right place at the right time on Saturday, when he and three other bystanders rescued an allegedly intoxicated man from a burning car, Haledon police said.

Assemblyman Alaa "Al" Abdelaziz, D-Bergen, was driving on Barbour Street around 11:30 a.m. when he saw the vehicle behind him crash into two parked cars, police said.

He then jumped out to help as smoke began pouring out of the car and the dazed driver remained behind the wheel, police said.

"Assemblyman Abdelaziz stated he witnesses the accident as he was traveling in front of the vehicle and saw the accident through his rearview mirror," Haledon Lt. Christian Clavo said in a news release.

An off-duty Haledon police officer, Detective Sgt. Semir Celoski, was in the area with his father, Avmed, and heard the crash. Celoski called for help, and his father, Abdelaziz and two bystanders rushed to pull the driver out of the burning car, police said.

"Assemblyman Abdelaziz swiftly went into action and with the assistance of Detective Sgt. Celoski's father and two unidentified Samaritans, removed (the driver) from the vehicle as it quickly became engulfed," Clavo said.

The driver, identified as Faquan Barnes, "showed signs of impairment and stated he had consumed an illicit substance," Clavo said.

The Haledon Fire Department responded and doused the flames and

Barnes was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital, where he refused to submit to a chemical test for intoxicants, Clavo said.

Barnes was charged with being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance, refusing a chemical test, reckless driving, and driving while intoxicated within 1,000 feet of a school, Clavo said.

Abdelaziz, a former Paterson city councilman who this year moved up to Assembly in the 35th District, could not be reached for comment.

Haledon police are now looking for the two bystanders who helped in the rescue. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Christian Clavo at 973-790-4444 or at cclavo@haledonpd.org.

Driver saved from a burning car by 4 bystanders, including a N.J. state leader