The man behind one of TV’s most gloriously unhinged cartoon kids had a very real, very terrifying brush with disaster this week.
Eugene Mirman, the comedian and voice actor best known for bringing Gene Belcher to life on Bob’s Burgers, was involved in a single-vehicle crash into a toll plaza on the F.E. Everett Turnpike in Bedford, New Hampshire, just before noon on Tuesday, March 31.
And yes, the car was on fire.
A Real-Life Hero Moment at the Toll Plaza
Here’s where it gets both harrowing and genuinely impressive. A state trooper assigned to Governor Kelly Ayotte’s security detail happened upon the burning wreck while units were still en route. Without waiting around, the trooper pulled Mirman out through a window while the vehicle was actively on fire. Governor Ayotte herself stepped out and helped however she could at the scene, and bystanders jumped in too.
The 51-year-old comedian was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, according to PEOPLE. No charges have been filed, and the New Hampshire State Police say the crash is still under investigation.
A rep for Mirman confirmed his identity and offered a statement: he’s grateful to the first responders, bystanders, and hospital staff, and is currently focused on recovery. The family has asked for privacy, which is completely fair when your Tuesday involved being rescued from a burning car through a window.
More Than Just Gene Belcher
Mirman, born in Moscow and raised in New York, has spent decades building a seriously impressive comedy resume. Beyond voicing the keyboard-obsessed, sausage-enthusiast middle child on Bob’s Burgers and The Bob’s Burgers Movie, he’s appeared on Archer, Flight of the Conchords, Broad City, Last Week Tonight, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and more. He also co-founded the comedy production company Pretty Good Friends, because apparently one career wasn’t enough.
The good news? He’s on the mend. And if Gene Belcher has taught us anything, it’s that this family does not go down without a fight.