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Homeless man catches family's two children and dogs dropped from burning apartment building

"He was right underneath and he was like 'Yes, throw your daughters out, I'm going to catch them, I'm going to get them.'"

CBS News|YouTube

Man catches entire family as they jump from burning building.

House fires are devastating for families. In a matter of minutes, you could lose all of your belongings and a place to live, or worse, you could lose loved ones. A family in Phoenix, Arizona, recently found themselves facing the reality of their own home in flames. Claudia Jimenez told CBS News that she woke up trapped in her burning apartment with her two daughters, with nothing to do but yell for help in the hopes that someone would hear her.

The mom's screams were answered by Joe Hollins, a homeless man who was camping nearby with his wife. Hollins didn't hesitate to try to find a way to help. With no way out and the fire department still nowhere on the scene, Jimenez had to trust the stranger who was standing below.

"He was right underneath and he was like 'Yes, throw your daughters out, I'm going to catch them, I'm going to get them,'" Jimenez told CBS.

So the terrified mom did what any mom would've done to save her babies—she tossed them one at a time out the window. And just as he'd promised, Hollins caught them. Valerie, who is just a year old, was dropped to safety first, then 8-year-old Natalie made the two-story fall into Hollins' arms. The family dogs were next out the window before it was time for Jimenez to make the jump.

After some coaxing, the mom made the leap, and Hollins again made the catch, saving everyone in the house. When everything was said and done, Hollins saved the entire family and the dogs. Soon after Jimenez jumped to safety, the fire department showed up to put out the blaze.

Multiple families lost their home that night, but thanks to Hollins, the Jimenez family didn't lose their lives. In an effort to help Hollins after saving this family, a GiveSendGo was created and people can donate here. A GoFundMe was also created for the young mom and her daughters, and people who would like to help can do so by donating here.

If you ask the hero, he's no hero at all. He told CBS News that anyone in his shoes would've done the same thing. Hollins was in the right place at the right time, and because of his willingness to help, he saved an entire family. You can watch the entire interview below.

This article originally appeared on 5.24.23

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Man hailed 'Highway Hero' for running across four lanes of traffic to help an unconscious driver

Talk about acting quickly!

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Man hailed 'Highway Hero' for running across four lanes of traffic

Holy cow, Bat Man! You're always supposed to be aware of other vehicles when you're driving but what do you do when you notice someone has lost consciousness while speeding down the highway?

It's a scenario that no one wants to see play out, but for Adolfo Molina, the scenario became reality and he didn't hesitate to spring into action. Molina was driving down the highway when he spotted a woman in a blue car who lost consciousness as her car careened down the shoulder of the highway. The concerned driver quickly pulled over in order to attempt to rescue the woman.

But there was a problem, he had to cross four lanes of traffic on the highway just to make it to the woman's still moving car. That obstacle didn't stop him. Molina sprinted across the highway, crossing right in front of a black pick up truck before running at full speed to attempt to open the woman's door and stop her car.

"I realized that the woman was unconscious and dizzy, colliding with the wall, with the window," Molina told NBC, "it was something like God protected me in that moment." The fact that he made it across four lanes of traffic and continued to run next to a speeding car without getting himself hurt is a miracle in itself. But the true feat was that with the assistance of another driver, Molina was able to get the car stopped.

The hero told NBC that he hopes to meet the woman he helped save one day. Molina was honored by his mayor and the Dominican Consulate in Boston for his heroic actions.

Watch the heart pounding video below:

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An 8-year-old saved his classmate's life after seeing him choking in school cafeteria

'There's not enough words to be grateful for saving him.'

Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

Kid's quick acting saved a classmate.

Kids have a habit of picking things up pretty quickly. Usually it's things you wish they wouldn't have learned, like mimicking your frustrated swear words. But sometimes a skill comes in pretty handy, such as for 8-year-old Garrett Brown, who recently saved the life of his classmate at Lakeview Elementary School in Norman, Oklahoma. Garrett was sitting at the lunch table eating with his friends when a boy started to choke on his chicken nuggets, which prompted Garrett to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

You may be wondering where Garrett learned the Heimlich maneuver and the answer is pretty simple: his dad. Garrett told Local 10 News, “My dad taught me whenever I was choking and so, he taught me how to do it in case anybody else was doing it.” It's a good thing Garrett absorbed that life lesson, because it certainly came in handy this school year. The entire situation seems so surreal. According to Good Morning America, the kids were in the cafeteria excitedly chatting away because it was chicken nugget day. The cafeteria only had one monitor at that time and she was on the other side of the room when the incident took place.

When the classmate, Cashton York, began to choke, the kids at the table started yelling for the teacher that was monitoring the cafeteria, but before she could make it across the room, Garrett had jumped into action. The 8-year-old took the skill his father taught him and immediately rushed behind Cashton to administer the two thrusts that caused the chicken nugget to fly out of his mouth.

The whole ordeal left adults impressed at this young child's fast thinking and applied skill. It was so unbelievable that it happened, Jordan Nguyen, the teacher who was monitoring the cafeteria, told GMA, "When it was done, we all took a breath and thought, 'Did that just happen? Was that for real? Did this really just happen?' And we had to go back and watch the security footage just to be sure that 'Oh, that is what happened. Oh, my goodness. It was pretty mind-blowing."

Can you blame them for rolling back the tape? What an amazing thing to witness, and the school felt the same way. Recently Garrett was presented with a "Hero Award" from Lakeview Elementary. Cashton's mom, Tiffany Smith, told KOCO News, "There are not enough words to be grateful for saving him."

It really goes to show how having basic knowledge of life-saving skills can help save a life in unexpected circumstances. The school was so impressed by Garrett's actions that the teachers have started taking classes on basic life skills. But the school isn't stopping there, it will soon be teaching these basic life skills/first aid classes to students in the school—on a kid-friendly level, of course. Nguyen explained to GMA, "That way, if they are out somewhere or if they're home alone, or if they're home with their siblings and something does happen, they'll know what to do."

By knowing this handy life-saving skill, Garrett is changing the way his school operates, though hopefully there's not another need for a student to use a skill like that. These basic skills classes will help the students feel more prepared for emergencies and, let's face it, everyone could use classes like these.

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Brave mom fights off tiger to rescue her child with only her bare hands

Imagine taking your kid to the bathroom and having to fight off a hungry tiger.

Photo by Jessica Weiller on Unsplash

Toddler escapes the deathly grip of a tiger, thanks to his fast-acting mom.

Imagine taking your kid to the bathroom and having to fight off a hungry tiger. It sounds like a scene from a B-list movie, but this exact scenario actually happened to a mother and her 15-month-old toddler in India. The tiger is believed to have escaped from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, near where the incident happened, according to BestLife. Archana Choudhary, 25, was letting her toddler relieve himself outdoors when the escaped tiger picked up her child and attempted to walk off.

The fact that this mom didn't immediately pass out from shock is amazing. But luckily for this toddler, his mother's first instinct was to conjure up superhuman reflexes and strength to save her baby from the tiger's grip. Choudhary's husband, Bhola, told The Sun, "Rajveer was sitting and Archana was standing nearby. Suddenly, a tiger emerged, picked Rajveer and started walking away. Archana ran after the tiger for about 5 metres, hitting the tiger with her hands to save her son. The tiger left the child and attacked Archana.”

Can you imagine finding out in the craziest way possible that your wife is no one to mess with? I mean, how could you possibly top that act of love? I'd imagine common disagreements would turn into Choudhary saying, "I fought a tiger, the least you could do is wash the dishes." There's no arguing with that. In all seriousness, the baby was saved thanks to his mother's bravery, but neither escaped without injury.

According to CBS, Choudhary suffered a punctured lung and wounds to her abdomen while the 15-month-old has deep gashes on his head. After attacking the mother and child, the tiger returned to the forest escaping the villagers. The Times of India reported that both mother and baby are in stable condition and a search operation is underway to locate the tiger to force it back toward the reserve.

There are estimated to be around 4,500 tigers in the wild, and India is home to around two-thirds of them. It would seem a tiger encounter in India would only be a matter of time if you live near a reserve. Though tiger attacks are still rare, India had 108 tiger-related deaths between 2019 and 2021. These beautiful but dangerous animals remain on the endangered list as reserves continue to try to boost the tiger population, which is likely why the tiger that attacked Choudhary is not being euthanized.

Thankfully, Choudhary and her child are expected to make a full recovery. Parents often complain about potty training but the task should never be this exciting. This story will likely be told throughout villages for generations. It's not every day that someone goes toe to toe with an adult tiger barehanded and lives to tell the story. Wishing mom and baby a speedy recovery.








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