A good Samaritan pulled an injured teenage driver to safety in Simi Valley late Wednesday after the boy's car crashed and caught fire, police said.

The driver, a 17-year-old Simi Valley resident, was coming home from a friend's house about 11:24 p.m. when he lost control, struck a curb and hit a tree on Long Canyon Road near Twisted Oak Drive, police said.

After the crash, the car began to burn. Although injured, the teenage driver was able to pull himself out of the car. No one else was in the vehicle.

John Farugia, 54, of Simi Valley was locking up his nearby home for the night when he heard the crash, he said. It sounded bad, so he drove to the scene.

When he arrived, the car's engine compartment and the ground underneath were on fire, and the boy was next to the wrecked vehicle. Thinking he had a few seconds before the fire got really bad, Farugia spoke briefly with the boy to determine if he was hurt and whether anyone else was in the car, then picked him up and moved him 20 or 30 yards away, he said.

"I said, ‘I've got to get you out of here. It's going to hurt, but hold on,' " Farugia recalled. After moving the boy, he called 911. A few minutes later, the car turned into a bonfire, Farugia said.

The teen was taken to Simi Valley Hospital, where he was admitted for a dislocated hip. Police did not release the teen's name.

The teen told police he felt fatigued just before the crash and thinks he fell asleep at the wheel, authorities said.

Police Lt. David Livingstone said car fires give off intense heat, and anyone near them risks burns and injuries from caustic chemicals, exploding tires and other hazards.

Farugia "basically risked his life going up there," Livingstone said. "His actions, I think, definitely helped save the life of the juvenile."

Farugia said he did what he hopes anyone would have done in the same situation.

"Things like that are a little scary, but you've just got to jump in and help when the opportunity presents itself, and that's what I did," he said. "It's something you don't think about; you just do."

Farugia said he's helped people before but never in such a dire situation. "I've never done anything like that; I've never had to. "The feeling of satisfaction of helping was incredible," he said.