Deputy Michael D’Avanzo and Deputy Angel Martinez, Jr.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2025 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Two Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies are being honored for pulling a driver from a burning, overturned vehicle in West Boca Raton last fall. Deputy Michael A. D’Avanzo and Deputy Angel Martinez, Jr., both from District 7, have received the PBSO’s Life Saving Medal for their heroic actions during the fiery rescue.
The incident happened in the early morning hours of October 2, 2024, at the intersection of Clint Moore Road and South State Road 7. According to the Sheriff’s Office, a single car ran a red light, crossed State Road 7, and drove over the sidewalk. The vehicle snagged a steel cable from a utility pole before slamming into a tree, flipping over, and catching fire.
When Deputies D’Avanzo and Martinez arrived on the scene, they immediately grabbed their fire extinguishers but were unable to put out the growing flames. With the driver trapped inside the burning car, Deputy D’Avanzo put himself in harm’s way, quickly cutting through the passenger-side airbag to pull the driver to safety.
Investigators later determined the driver may have been impaired at the time of the crash. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office noted that the driver “almost certainly would have died” if not for the deputies’ actions. The agency commended both D’Avanzo and Martinez for their “outstanding heroism and unwavering devotion to duty.”
