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NJ police catch man jumping from burning building
Three Stafford Township Police officers were able to catch a man who jumped from a second-story balcony to escape his burning home. The rescue was caught on body cam.
STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. - Police in New Jersey are sharing dramatic new body camera video of officers catching a man who jumped off a balcony to get out of a burning home.
Dramatic rescue caught on camera
The backstory:
The fire happened on Feb. 13, at a home on Yeoman Road in Stafford Township. Two people were able to escape the fire.
On Friday, the Stafford Township Police Department released new body camera footage of officers rescuing one of the two. Three STPD officers are seen running to the back of the building, near a balcony. The officers can be heard shouting up at a person, telling him "you need to jump right now."
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Suddenly, the man jumps. The officers, with their arms locked, catch him.
"We got you buddy," one of the officers can be heard saying. "We got you."
Both the man from the video and the second person who escaped were hospitalized in stable condition.
Officers praised
What they're saying:
Stafford Police Chief James Haldenwang called the officers' actions that night "truly amazing. Their quick, selfless actions undoubtedly saved this man's life, and I am awestruck by the heroics displayed."
Woman killed in fire
What we know:
While two people were able to escape the burning home, one person, identified as 92-year-old Betty Matero, was killed in the blaze.
Township and County officials investigated what caused the fire, and determined that the fire started in a storage container outside the home, and was likely sparked by failing lithium-ion batteries. The fire was ruled an accident.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Stafford Township Police Department.