After a New Jersey apartment building caught on fire on Monday morning, a father dropped his toddler out of a window to save the little one's life.
Authorities said that as the three-year-old fell from the second floor window of the apartment building in the Southridge Woods complex on Route 522 in South Brunswick. Firefighters and cops caught the child.
The video of the rescue that was caught on the officers’ body-worn cameras was tweeted by the South Brunswick Police Department Monday afternoon.
Warning: Graphic video
Rescue captured on officers' body worn camera. Dad throws child out 2nd floor window to officers and firefighters, then jumps to escape flames consuming apartment building. pic.twitter.com/Ku5jQ6sOUy
— So Brunswick PD (@SoBrunswickPD) March 7, 2022
Going by the video, police initially described the child as a “baby," and told the father to "pass the baby!"
Just after 8 am cops got many 911 calls about a fire in the building, reported New Jersey 101.5. Police said that cops and firefighters who first arrived on the scene found flames and smoke coming out of the second and third floor apartments.
PIX11 reported that first responders rushed to help a man who was sticking his head out of a second floor window of an apartment that had caught fire. Police shared that the man first threw the child out of the window and into the arms of the first responders. He then jumped headfirst out of the window and cops were able to catch him.
Police said that the father and the child suffered minor injuries. Sergeant William Merkler, Fire Chief Chris Perez, Patrolman First Class Ryan Bartunek and Detective Sergeant John Penney were the first responders who helped in rescuing the father and child. The fire was brought under control by firefighters. The scene was still active and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
According to the American Red Cross, which sent members to the scene to help residents impacted by the fire -- about 15 families were displaced by the blaze.
Fox News reported that about 50 people were displaced by the fire, but that it could have been worse, said Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith. He said that they were faced "with extremely heavy fire conditions immediately on arrival, along with reports of people still inside." Smith confirmed that fortunately, all of the occupants were able to "escape the fire." He noted that had the incident taken place earlier in the morning "when people may have still been asleep, the outcome could have easily been tragic."
