WGNO

Michigan mother tosses baby to neighbor from roof to escape fire

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Two adults and a child are safe after a neighbor came to their rescue during a fire in Michigan on Tuesday.

The incident happened around 2:55 p.m. Firefighters arrived and saw smoke and flames coming from the back of a multi-unit home. Before they got there, two adults and a child were able to get to the roof and call for help.


Saying he heard loud cracking sounds, neighbor Jonathan Frazier looked out his window and ran over to help. 

Frazier, describing the fire as big, said a woman was able to toss her baby to him from the roof.

“I look out and it’s cracking — wood and everything cracking in the back,” he said. “I ran downstairs and had her toss the baby to me and then she jumped down. The boyfriend jumped down the other side. I caught the baby (and) mother as much as I could.”

Frazier said the only thing he was thinking during the rescue was “don’t drop the baby.”  

Firefighters were able to get the fire under control within 10 minutes, public safety officials said.

The couple and the child are all expected to be OK, and the fire is under investigation.