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Man With Cracked-Hip Scales 19-Story Building To Save His Mother

August 2, 2021

Jermaine said he would stop at nothing to reach his mother during an apartment building fire.

When the Westpark Apartments in Philadelphia began to fill with smoke, he got a call from his sister that their 65-year-old mother, Sheila, who is sick and bed-ridden, couldn't get out of her 15th floor apartment.

When he arrived, the front door was blocked by police and they weren't letting anyone inside.

"They said the elevators are not working. I said, 'No problem. I'll take the steps. I just want to make sure my mother- my mother is sick, she's bed-ridden. So I need to get up there," Jermaine said. "They were like 'we can't let you in.' I took it upon myself because that's my mother. There's no limits. That's my mother."

So, he started to scale the fenced-in balconies of the building with wire cutters in hand.

Earlier that day, Jermaine fell and cracked his hip on a set of stairs. Despite his injuries, adrenaline took over.

He made it all the way to his mom's balcony. Once there, Shelia saw her son outside and assured him she was okay. She told him the fire was contained.

Jermaine's mother made it out safely, as did many residents. Four civilians and three firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.