Philip Blanks, a retired US marine won hearts all over the world after he rescued a falling child from a burning building. An apartment in Phoenix, Arizona, had gotten caught on fire, and the kid had jumped from the balcony of the blazing building. Blanks, who had been in the complex to visit a friend for an early-morning workout, when he had heard screaming.
Without hesitation, this former high school football player dove to catch the child who had dropped from the third floor, who, he said, was “twirling like a helicopter” as he fell.
“People were screaming ‘there are kids up there’ and to throw the kids down,” Blanks said. “I saw another guy was standing there ready to catch the boy, but he didn’t look like he was going to do it, so I stepped in front of him. The way I caught him, I fell on my side, and of course damaged his foot, but the most important thing is that his head was safe.”
This was caught on tape by a bystander, and became viral on social media, garnering praise for Blanks. The kid, Jameson, 3, was apparently thrown from the balcony by his mother in an attempt to save him from the fire. His sister Roxxie was saved by the rescue force, but sadly, their mother didn’t make it out of the fire.