UNION, Mo. — We know a lot of you got stranded in the snow Friday night, and for a few lucky drivers, a white Jeep came to the rescue.
Vincent Vitale was behind the wheel.
"It kind of just gave me an excuse to come out and play in the snow a little bit,” he said.
He says his Jeep is his favorite toy, and he put it to work on hilly Highway 50 in Union, where he pulled stranded cars -- and even semi-trucks -- to safety.
"I actually asked the drivers how much, if they were loaded and they said 50,000 pounds, so I was actually surprised the Jeep was able to move them,” he said.
The secret? Vincent outfitted his Jeep with 37-inch tires for off-roading. Those tires make towing trucks through snow look easy.
Vincent used to be a tow truck driver. He says his Jeep is better at the job than his old tow truck. He estimates he helped five stranded semi drivers and 10 others during the storm.
"Actually got to one guy who slid off the road, he'd been waiting 2 and a half hours for a tow truck, so we got him out and home to his family. He had two kids in there," Vincent said.
Just one of many families who have Vincent and his favorite toy to thank.
"It's a good feeling, gets your adrenaline going,” he said. "I just don't want to see them stuck on the side of the highway."
Vincent says he used a tank and a half of gas in the storm Friday and Saturday, but it was well worth it.
And if we do end up getting more snow this weekend, he says he'll be right back out on the roads to help.