A witness is challenging earlier reports that former NFL journalist Dianna Russini heroically rescued an elderly man and his dog from an overturned vehicle after a crash in northern New Jersey last month.
The incident occurred April 15 on a road near Russini’s home in Wyckoff, when a Honda collided with a Jeep, causing the Jeep to flip onto its side. The 73-year-old driver and his dog were trapped inside, according to local police and published accounts. Bystanders assisted the victims before officers arrived, police have said.
Initial reports, published by Page Six on April 17, cited an eyewitness who said Russini — who was driving with her mother and children when the crash happened in front of her vehicle — ran to the scene. That account described her asking a tall man to hoist her onto the overturned Jeep so she could open the door, after which she and another bystander helped pull the driver and dog to safety.
But a second witness, identified as a fellow Northern New Jersey resident whose account was confirmed through public records, offered a different version in a Page Six story published Thursday evening.
The witness said Russini did come into the street to help but did not climb onto the vehicle or open its door. Instead, the witness’s husband was the one who freed the driver and dog by ripping open the Jeep’s canvas roof, according to the account. Russini “merely held the dog’s leash after the pet had been released from the wreckage,” the witness told the outlet. The witness’s husband declined to comment when reached by reporters.
A Page Six reporter who visited the scene did not uncover additional details.
Russini, 43, had resigned from The Athletic — part of The New York Times — just days before the crash amid controversy over photographs showing her holding hands and embracing New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at a luxury resort in Sedona, Ariz.
Neither Russini nor representatives for her have commented publicly on the rescue or the conflicting witness accounts.
Local news outlet Patch.com reported the crash at the time, noting the driver was hospitalized with head and shoulder pain but providing no details about bystanders’ involvement.
The latest development adds a twist to what had been portrayed as a dramatic act of heroism by Russini shortly after she left her high-profile NFL reporting role.
Flip the pages for photos of Russini and Vrabel together.
