Brighten Your Day

'This Baby's Not Dying Today': Stranger Saves Infant From Burning Home

May 14, 2024

Today's good news story comes from Cleveland, Ohio.

An Ohio man is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a baby from a devastating house fire in Cleveland. The incident unfolded early Monday morning when firefighters responded to a distress call reporting a blaze engulfing a residence in the 3600 block of West 102nd Street.

Credit: WKYC Channel 3

Amidst the chaos, the mother managed to escape the inferno with one of her twins, but her other child remained trapped inside. It was then that 62-year-old Army veteran John Stickovich, on his way to work, emerged as a guardian angel.

"The mother was sitting on the lawn with her one baby, and I asked her if she was all right. She said, 'My baby is still in the house,' and I was thinking to myself, 'Oh my God, I have to save the baby'," Stickovich told WKYC.

Stickovich immediately ran to the side door of the house and kicked it in, but the smoke and flames were too heavy, so he went to the back of the house and crawled through an open door to the kitchen. He still could not find the child.

"I came back out and asked her where the baby was. She told me, 'Next to the kitchen by the baby gate,'" he said.

Stickovich ran back into the house, crawled under the smoke, and felt around until he reached the childproof gate — but there still was no sign of the child.

"It was getting so bad in there, I was getting ready to leave actually and then the baby cried or made a sound, so I'm thinking to myself, 'The baby is right here,' so I just lurched forward and my arm went across his leg. I grabbed him by the leg, [pulled] and then we were both out."

Following the rescue, both the mother and her children were transported to the hospital and reported to be in stable condition. Stickovich, too, was taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation but is now also in stable condition.

According to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Lt. Mike Norman, Stickovich's swift action was the sole reason the child survived the ordeal.

"He risked his life to bring that baby out, he did an amazing job this morning," said CFD spokesman Lt. Mike Norman.

"I just thought that, you know, 'This baby's not dying today'," Stickovich said.

Watch the video below.