A young family nearly lost their lives April 3 after a fire broke out in their duplex in Frankfort, Indiana. Flames and smoke consumed the stairway, preventing them from leaving.
Police and firefighters arrived within one minute of the 911 call the family placed at around 2 a.m. The caller said there was smoke everywhere and their baby was struggling to breathe.
By the time they arrived, “flames were shooting out the front of the house with heavy smoke preventing an exit from the second floor,” according to a news release from The City of Frankfort.
Thankfully, a tall ladder had been left out nearby, allowing Sgt. Andrew Snyder to quickly access the trapped family while other officers alerted the residents on the lower floor and got them to safety.
Bodycam footage of the rescue was shared, showing the urgency of the situation.
“Can I have your kid? Can I have your baby?” Snyder can be heard saying as he approaches the window. “Just give me the car seat, she’s good.”
“Please don’t drop her,” a worried parent pleaded.
“I won’t,” he responded. “I got her.”
Mom, dad and baby were all safely escorted from the second floor, and three other people were alerted and saved from the first floor, as well.
“I am very proud of these officers for their quick, heroic actions,” Chief Scott Shoemaker said. “They will be honored by the police department at a later date.”
Snyder, Officer Freddy Martinez and Officer Madison Douglas were all recognized for their rescue efforts.
“I chose recommending the Medal of Valor to all three officers,” Captain Hall said. “They all showed an extraordinary act of bravery by removing a total of six (6) occupants out to safety under extreme stress and life-threatening conditions.”
“All officers displayed heroic efforts in their quick actions during this extreme and life-threatening incident,” Deputy Chief Cesar Muñoz added. “I am very proud of these officers for their heroic actions which led to a successful outcome.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A reunion between the family and Sergeant Snyder was held on Friday, and the moment was captured by Good Morning America.
“Our baby was struggling to breathe, so, I’m very, very thankful that they got there to help her out the window and help us, too,” mom Elizabeth Crow said.
“At the end of the day, we were just doing our job,” Martinez said, “and we’re, we’re all thankful that we had the results that we did, and glad that we could be there to help the family.”
