Newark Mayor Cory Booker is officially a hero. The wildly popular mayor was treated and released from a newark hospital Thursday, April 12, after helping to rescue his neighbors from their burning home.
According to The Associated Press, Booker had just returned from a TV interview when he learned that the house next door was on fire. The mayor immediately sprang into action.
Booker met Det. Alex Rodriguez (a member of the mayor’s security team) at the scene. When Booker arrived, Rodriguez had already rescued two women who lived on the first floor. Booker and another member of his security detail then entered the building and headed for the second floor to reach a third resident, The Star-Ledger reported.
“I suddenly had the realization that I can’t find this woman.” Booker said. “I look behind me and see the flames and I think ‘I’m not going to get out of here.’ Suddenly I was at peace with the fact that I was going to jump out the window.”
“I just grabbed her and whipped her out of the bed,” Booker said. The two made their way downstairs, where they both collapsed, Booker said.
Once the fire department arrived, Booker and the woman were both rushed to the hospital to receive treatment. Booker suffered second degree burns and smoke inhalation, but was released from the hospital later that night. He even tweeted about the ordeal shortly after his release.
Check out this video of Booker describing the rescue and how close he believed he was to dying.
