For one unidentified man in South Carolina, a good deed is truly its own reward.
That’s because the man refused to be identified after video emerged of him making an incredible catch after a baby was tossed from the window of a burning building.
According to firefighters, a large blaze broke out on Tuesday evening at the Ashford Cove Apartments in Anderson, S.C., after what was believed to have been a cooking accident.
In a matter of minutes, smoke and flames were pouring from a second-storey window. Inside the unit, a mother and her 11-month-old son had become trapped by the smoke and couldn’t flee through the door.
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And so she made the desperate decision to drop her young son to a stranger waiting on the ground below. Ashford Cove Apartments resident JaQuwan Brooks tells Fox Carolina that he began filming moments before the child was dropped.
It’s a close call, but the man manages to catch the child as flames pour from the open window. The mother later jumped herself from the open window.
Incredibly, firefighters say neither was seriously hurt in the close call, with the baby suffering only minor cuts, scrapes and bruises. Fire officials say one other person was taken to hospital due to burns on their feet. A paramedic was also hospitalized. Their condition is not known at this time.
The man who made the catch declined to be identified to local media. Witnesses say he did accept a handshake from the fire chief as thanks for his incredible catch.