Pizza delivery man runs into burning home to save 5 children, jumps from second floor holding child

In a heroic act, a 25-year-old pizza delivery man risked his life to save five children from a burning home in Indiana. Nicholas Bostic was driving by in the dead of night when he saw the house engulfed in flames. His immediate instinct was to run inside and help. Entering through the back door, Bostic braved thick clouds of smoke to rescue four children, ranging from ages 1 to 18. He then re-entered to save a fifth child, a 6-year-old, ultimately escaping by jumping through a window with her in his arms, using his own body to break the fall.

The incident happened in Lafayette, Indiana, and the Lafayette Police Department confirmed that the child was "miraculously mostly uninjured," reported PEOPLE. Bostic sustained severe smoke inhalation and a deep arm wound. When first responders arrived, his first words were, "Please tell me that baby is OK." 

Bostic told local media that after the children informed him their 6-year-old sibling was still inside, he ran back in “without hesitation” and searched the upstairs bedroom. Unable to find her, he was about to exit when he heard her cries from downstairs.

Despite being frightened, he wrapped his shirt over his mouth and nose and ran through a "black lagoon" of smoke in the staircase to reach the screaming child. He found her but couldn't find an exit because of the black smoke. So he decided to run back upstairs, through the heat and the thick smoke. 

Bostic punched through a window and jumped out with the 6-year-old in his arms, using his body to protect her from the fall. Despite a severe arm injury, he brought the crying child to first responders who had just arrived. Medics took the child and urged Bostic to lie down so they could check his vitals. "Is the baby OK? Please tell me that baby's OK," he could be heard pleading in the bodycam video of one of the officials, who assured him the baby was OK. "You did good, dude," one medic told him. Bostic was airlifted to a hospital in Indianapolis, where he was treated before being released.

"Nicholas Bostic's heroic actions saved lives. His selflessness during this incident 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 and the Honorable Mayor Tony Roswarski are eternally grateful for Nicholas' intervention and would like to publicly recognize him for his actions," said LPD in a statement.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Bostic recover from his injuries. Bostic is set to be honored on August 2 at the Lafayette Aviators' National Night Out.

This article originally appeared 2 years ago.