Leo Gillick
During a house fire, two police officers and a neighbor noticed that there was an 8-year-old trapped on the second floor, and the only way they would escape was by jumping the distance.
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The house fire had erupted in Asbury Park, Monmouth County. Flames could already be seen bursting from multiple windows of the two-story home. As police approached, nothing but fire could be seen ripping through the house.
Child Spotted: However, as the police rounded the building, their body cameras picked up the screams of an 8-year-old trapped on the second floor. The two, plus a neighbor, went around the back to find the kid.
The young boy was trapped inside because they were unable to open the window. Shouting up to the panicked and screaming child, they gave instructions. Trying to shout above the sound of the flames and get through to his panicked mind, they told him to break the window.
It was not an easy task, and despite multiple attempts, the 8-year-old struggled to escape the house fire. The officers told him to try harder, but the boy’s strength was failing due to the smoke and heat.
- Eventually, the 8-year-old broke the window and was able to climb to the ledge to escape the house fire. However, now he had to drop from the second floor, panicking.
Heroic Catch From Police Officers
The boy, sitting on the window ledge of the burning building, had a big way to drop. The police officers had managed to persuade him to smash the window. But this had taken a lot of his effort, and he had inhaled a lot of smoke. He wasn’t in the clear yet, and the 8-year-old still had to jump from a second-floor window to escape the house fire.
How He Survived: The police officers repeatedly called up to the boy as he sat on the sill of the window. But the police and his neighbor kept reassuring him. Finally, he took the leap. The 8-year-old boy landed right into the arms of the waiting officer and was whisked away from the house fire.
