PHOENIX — Jason Schechterle always dreamed of becoming a Phoenix police officer. An Air Force veteran and Phoenix native, he reached that goal. Less than two years into his dream job, everything changed.
"It was pretty quiet that day actually," Schechterle said of Monday, March 26th, 2001.
While in his Phoenix police car, he stopped at a light. The collision was catastrophic: a taxi traveling more than 100 miles per hour crashed into his car, engulfing it in flames and trapping Schechterle inside.
On Wednesday, October 28th, 2026, Schechterle recounted those days with ABC15 for National First Responder Day.
"I should have died from that fire that night," Schechterle said.
Firefighters and officers pulled Schechterle from the burning car. He was rushed to a burn unit.
"Two and a half months in a coma, over five months in the hospital, years of surgery and therapy," Schechterle said.
Months after the crash, he finally walked out of the hospital.
"The only day of my life I've been excited to step outside on July 31st," he said.
But outside, the questions were waiting.
"Will I see again, will I walk again, will I learn how to use my hands that I lost half my fingers to amputation? How do I take care of my kids?" Schechterle said.
Schechterle worked and rehabbed hard, eventually returning to work as a homicide detective, before retiring years later.
He now shares his story with groups across the country and was the subject of a book titled Burning Shield. Now, at the 100 Club of Arizona, he helps raise millions of dollars for scholarships, therapy, and support for families of first responders injured or killed in the line of duty.
"It's an incredibly inspirational thing, and I'm so blessed to be able to do what I do," Schechterle said.
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