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Good Samaritan Saves Boy From Burning Building
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 1, 2009
Modified Oct 1, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 1, 2009
Modified Oct 1, 2009
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Yay! Upon hearing screams from a Bronx building, a stranger ran up a fire escape, kicked in the window of a burning apartment and rescued a 4-year-old boy. Horia Cretan said, "I heard somebody scream, I didn't know what was happening outside. I looked up and just couldn't see nothing, there was too much smoke. I just kicked in--I kicked in gear. I put the ladder down, I went upstairs, I did the best I could."
According to the Daily News, firefighters were at the apartment on Zerega Avenue already and one of the firefighters passed the boy to Cretan. He told NY1, "I inhaled some of [the smoke] and it was bad. I can't imagine how strong the kid is...I just held his head up. I put my hand underneath his neck so he could breath better. I felt his heart beat. It was faint but he was all right. And I made sure I protected him with the curtain because they were throwing glass from on top of the stairs."
This morning, Cretan appeared on Good Morning, America to recount the rescue—and he proposed to his girlfriend too! Cretan said, "There's never going to be a dull moment" (she accepted).
Tagged
bronx
fire
good samaritan
horia cretan
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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