Dramatic moment woman is rescued from sinking BMW as she ran out of air

Rescuers had to smash the BMW’s rear window after the driver drove off the harbor wall.

17:14 17 February 2015

A driver from Waitemata Harbour in Auckland was rescued after she drove off the harbor wall and her BMW car sank into the water.

Rescuers had the smash the New Zealander's rear window and hauled her out of her car as it filled with water she ran out of air. Moments before she was rescued, the terrified woman could be seen scrambling into the rear seats to reach an air pocket.

The officers, later identified as PC Paul Watts and PC Simon Russell, were being hailed as heroes for saving the woman’s life.

PC Watts said: “It was pretty close, probably 30 or 40 seconds after we managed to get the female out of the car, the car was already slipping further into the water.

“I’d say she probably only had a maximum of another minute or minute-and-a-half if she hadn’t got out.”

Meanwhile, another witness who was fishing nearby when the accident took place said: “I went into the water and tried to smash the window.”

“The two police officers smashed the back windscreen.

“We were running out of time because the vehicle was filling up.”