"His selflessness during this incident is inspiring," a statement from the fire department read.
Nicholas Bostic, a 25-year-old from Lafayette usually works as a pizza delivery driver, but now, he is a hero for saving the lives of five children. Around midnight, he was driving by and noticed that a house was on fire, so he immediately went to help.
According to a statement from LPD, Bostic, saved the children from a burning house, after he jumped out the second-story window with a 6-year-old during the rescue on July 11, 2022. He sustained serious smoke inhalation and a cut on his arm.
He told authorities that he entered the house through the backdoor yelling to alert the people who were stuck inside. When he didn't receive any response, he continued to run upstairs where he found four children, ages 1 to 18. They were roused by Bostic's screams and he helped them escape the burning house, according to PEOPLE.
Once outside, the four kids told Bostic that a 6-year-old might still be inside. He then ran back in for the second time "without hesitation" to the bedroom upstairs but didn't find anyone even after searching frantically. He began looking for an exit when he heard a child crying downstairs.
To save himself from what he described as the "black lagoon" of smoke below the stairwell of the house, Bostic wrapped his shirt around his mouth and nose and rushed downstairs. He crawled his way through following the cries of the child. Once he had the child with him, he tried looking for a way out but he couldn't locate the backdoor through which he had entered.
On the evening of July 11th, 25-year-old Nicholas Bostic of Lafayette, IN rescued five children from a burning home. Bostic was driving by when he saw the home engulfed in flames. He stopped, rushed in, saw four kids, and brought them to safety, but then realized there was one pic.twitter.com/OZQpf82N3x
— Haneefah Khaaliq for U.S. Senate (@HaneefahKhaaliq) July 17, 2022
He rushed upstairs with the child in his lap. Then, the brave man punched a window open. Overcoming ll obstacles, he held the child and jumped out on the ground while making sure the child landed safely.
Bodycam footage shared by the department shows Bostic carrying the child from around the side of the burning house. He then handed the little one over to first responders before medics tended to his injuries on a nearby lawn.
"Is the baby OK? Please tell me that baby's OK," he can be heard asking the medics, as officials assure him the baby was unharmed. "You did good, dude," one medic told him.
Here’s the video to go along with the story. pic.twitter.com/TvZ5wzCg1f
— LafayetteINPolice (@LafayetteINPD) July 15, 2022
Due to his injuries, Bostic had to be airlifted to a hospital in Indianapolis, where he was treated. He was released on July 13, 2022. "And we're going home!!" Bostic's girlfriend Kara Lewis captioned a Facebook photo of him looking extremely cheerful in his hospital gown.
"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," LPD shared in a statement.
Heroic actions of a Lafayette Citizen saves the lives of several children! #hero #inspiring #courage #awesome @City_Lafayette pic.twitter.com/s5eLfNs21Q
— LafayetteINPolice (@LafayetteINPD) July 14, 2022
On August 2, 2022, Bostic will be honored at the Lafayette Aviators' National Night Out. A GoFundMe has been set up in his name to raise money for his medical expenses.
References:
https://twitter.com/LafayetteINPD/status/1547657887165468677?s=20&t=PSU5yQzV_nDh_PcV0-Kp7Q
https://people.com/human-interest/indiana-man-praised-heroic-actions-saving-5-kids-burning-home/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/nick-bostic-hero
Cover Image Source: (L): Twitter | @LafayetteINPD (R): Facebook | Kara Lewis
