SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. — First responders in a New Jersey town are being hailed as heroes after they saved a 3-year-old boy and his father from an apartment fire – and the dramatic rescue was caught on video.
According to The Associated Press and WABC-TV, the incident occurred shortly after 8:15 a.m. Monday at the South Ridge apartment complex in South Brunswick. South Brunswick police and firefighters arrived to find one building’s second and third floors ablaze, authorities said.
After crews attempted to evacuate the building, police Sgt. William Merkler, Patrolman First Class Ryan Bartunek, Detective Sgt. John Penney and Fire Chief Chris Perez spotted a man looking out a second-floor window, the police department said in a news release. The man briefly stepped away and returned with his toddler son, authorities told WABC.
Body camera video captured the moment that the father dropped the child to the rescuers, then jumped headfirst to safety, authorities said. Crews caught both the boy and his father, who suffered minor injuries, police said.
Authorities said a firefighter and police officer also suffered minor injuries in the blaze, which displaced nearly 50 residents, according to WABC. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire, the news outlet reported.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.