A Sayreville, New Jersey police officer caught a baby boy dropped from a fire and helped others escape the burning home Monday afternoon.
Officer Brian Gay was the first to respond to the residence at 11 Jacobsen Street around 2 p.m. when a young girl outside who had escaped told him that four more people were trapped on the second floor, according to NJ.com.
He said he tried to enter the home through stairs on the exterior of the home, but the top was engulfed in flames. With the help of neighbor Daniel Hockenjos and Sayreville Fire Department First Assistant Chief George Gawron, Gay helped the remaining occupants exit the home through a window.
The officer broke the fall of a girl who jumped and then caught another. Gay stood ready as the 1-month-old boy was dropped to him in a carrier seat.
A ladder was against the house and the woman exited the window and fell down the ladder before she was brought to the ground by Gay and Gowron.
None of the occupants suffered any serious injuries and were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick as a precaution.
Sayreville Police Capt. Glenn Skarzynski said the brave efforts of Gay is a "testament to our department and departments around the nation who perform selfless acts like this every day."
The 13-year veteran of the force said it was one of the most daring acts he's performed as an officer.
"I'm a little shaken up, but I'll be alright," he told the newspaper. "I'm glad to see that they're okay."
