LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — The community is celebrating a police officer and good Samaritans who caught a boy as he jumped out of a second story window during a Lancaster County house fire in Warwick Township on Wednesday.
The fire broke out around 4:11 p.m. on Feb. 9 at a duplex on the 300 block of Meadow Valley road.
“I got a very frantic phone call at 4:20 that my house was on fire,” said Skyler Giordano, who lives in the unburned unit of the duplex.
Giordano’s wife and kids escaped the house safely. However, on the other side of the duplex, a teenage boy was trapped upstairs.
Within minutes, police and firefighters arrived. Northern Lancaster County Regional Police (NLCRPD) Officer Alexander Wildberger and two good Samaritans positioned themselves below the window where the boy was, coaching him on how to get out.
“To crawl out of the window and hang by his hands, and then go ahead and drop and they would catch him,” said NLCRPD Corporal Curtis Ochs.
A body camera captured the incident, showing the boy jump and the men catching him.
Their actions are now drawing praise from community leaders and members.
Neighbor Skyler Giordano remarked how fast strangers were able to come together for the rescue.
“The fact that the fire company was here so quickly and everyone was helping and there were no questions – ever since then, people have been helping,” Giordano said. “It's nice to know that people care in times of need.”
Officer Wildberger in particular is being lauded for his quick action and bravery.
“I'm proud of him, and he did a good job bringing recognition to himself and the department,” Ochs said.
The family that lived in the burned side of the duplex is still recovering, according to Giordano, who said he helped them move out some clothing the day after the fire.
“[The father of the family] is shaken up,” he said. “His son...[is] going to be ok, but again, waking up in that kind of stuff is scary.”
In the video of the rescue, the teen can be seen breaking the first floor window with his foot as he fell. Both he and Wildberger were taken to the hospital with injuries from the broken glass and smoke inhalation, according to police. Wildberger has since been released from the hospital, but no update has been provided on the boy’s status.