A group of Whitesboro High School students stopped on their way home from prom when they saw a garage burning and “didn’t think twice” before stepping out to save the people around the fire.
They were on their way home
High-schoolers Aiden Kane, Morgan Randall, Donato Jellenichr and Tyler Sodja have been hailed as heroes after stopping on their way home from junior prom on May 17 to save a family from their home that had its garage lit on fire.
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One of the teenagers relayed the story
The local media outlet Observer-Dispatch reported that the group of teenagers wasted no time when they saw a family’s garage on fire in Marcy as they moved to rescue them.
“We left the prom a little early because to go to One Genny [in New Hartford],” Kane recalled to the outlet.
“We got a few appetizers with our friends before heading to Donato’s house to get changed out of our prom clothes. And on the way, [my girlfriend] Morgan saw [the garage] burning.”
Each of them moved to handle it
“Everyone jumped out of the car,” Kane continued. “Donato immediately called 911, Tyler ran towards the garage to check it out and I ran up to the door and started pounding on it.”
The footage recorded by the teenagers shows Kane pounding on the front door of the family’s home.
A girl showed up at the door
“Your house is on fire!” Kane is heard saying in the video. A young girl is then seen running down the stairs and answering the door.
The girl responds to him, “I know, my dad’s calling the police,” as screams from young children can be heard in the background.
Kane tells them to get out
“You’ve got to get out,” Kane then responds. As the family is leaving the house, one of the teenagers is heard soothing the young family members leaving the house in distress.
He’s heard saying, “You’re okay, hey, you’re okay. Just walk over here. Come here, come here!”
They each took part in the situation
Observer-Dispatch reported that as Kane was getting the family out, Donato called 911, and Sodj was checking out the burning garage.
“I slammed and knocked on the door and there was two little girls and a dad,” Kane told the local outlet WKTV.
They spent time comforting the family
“I grabbed the girls, ran them across the street to where my girlfriend comforted them, because they were really upset,” Kane said.
Sodja, who went to check out the fire, told the outlet that it “sounded almost like gunshots popping.”
The Maynard Fire Chief commented on this
As per the New York Post, Maynard Fire Chief Jared Pearl said, “If they didn’t do this, if they didn’t get everyone out and call 911, it may have been three to four minutes before we got there. And by then, the house would have been fully involved.”
