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Man saved from stolen car after accident, fire on Panama Road

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An accident was reported on Panama Road east of Cottonwood Road in Monday in Southeast Bakersfield. 

Justin Bales, 39, was driving a 2008 Nissan eastbound on Panama and drifted off the road and struck a cement monument. 

The car caught on fire with the driver inside. Deputies and a person who saw the incident ran through dirt and mud to pull Bales from the fully engulfed vehicle. 

Bales was not burned and suffered minor injuries.

The car Bales was driving was stolen, according to officials. Bales was arrested for vehicle theft, being under the influence of drugs, and DUI.

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