Resurfaced footage of a 2022 incident shows the heroic, selfless actions of 25-year-old pizza delivery man Nicholas Bostic, who put his own life at risk to run into a burning home to save the lives of four children. Bostic has been praised for his bravery, and he was awarded the Carnegie Medal, the highest civilian award granted to individuals who put themselves in substantial danger to save the lives of others.
The incident began when Bostic was driving past the home in Lafayette, Indiana, where he spotted a fire engulfing the building in flames. Reportedly, he did not have his cell phone, so he could not call 911. Undeterred, Bostic charged into the house, where he retrieved an 18-year-old and four young children. There were four siblings, aged 1, 6, 13, and 18, and another 13-year-old was spending the night at the residence.
According to a statement from Lafayette Police Department Lt Randy Sherer, “On July 11th, 2022, at approximately 12:30 a.m., the Lafayette Police Department and Lafayette Fire Department received reports of a house fire in the 2200 block of Union Street. When officers arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames, and the intensity of the fire prevented emergency personnel from entering the residence. Information was gathered that a 6-year-old child was possibly still inside the home, and emergency personnel began to hastily attempt to combat the fire to attempt a rescue.”
However, after rescuing the first four individuals, the 6-year-old was unaccounted for, to which Bostic reentered the blaze, fighting unbearably hot temperatures and thick black smoke. Upon locating the last remaining child, Bostic punched out a second-story window and jumped to safety with the 6-year-old, who was largely unscathed. The 25-year-old suffered from severe smoke inhalation and a serious laceration to his arm.
“At approximately 12:36 a.m., a male, who had entered the home prior to emergency personnel arriving, jumped through a window of the second-story house and landed on the ground with the 6-year-old child who had been trapped inside. The male, later identified as 25-year-old Nicholas Bostic of Lafayette, was seriously injured during the incident- suffering from severe smoke inhalation and gravely cutting his right arm. The 6-year-old child was miraculously mostly uninjured,” Sherer’s statement continued.
The City of Lafayette honored the young man for saving five young lives. “Nicholas Bostic’s heroic actions saved lives. His selflessness exhibited when he rushed into a burning Lafayette home to save children trapped inside is inspiring, and he has impressed many with his courage, tenacity, and steadfast calmness in the face of such perilous danger. The Lafayette Police Department, the Lafayette Fire Department, and the Honorable Mayor Tony Roswarski are eternally grateful for Nicholas’s intervention and would like to publicly recognize him for his actions. On August 2nd, during National Night Out at the Aviators game, Nicholas will be honored, and we invite you all to attend,” the post on Facebook began.
Police bodycam footage captured the moment in which Bostic runs toward officers carrying the child he just jumped out of a window to save. As he lay on the ground, having a tourniquet applied to his badly wounded arm, he further demonstrated his selflessness where all he was concerned about was whether the child was okay. Watch the footage below:
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