VIDEO – Man Catches Three-Year-Old Dropped from Window During Apartment Fire: ‘He’s a Hero’

A man rescued a child whose mother dropped her from a second-floor window during a fire at an apartment complex located in north St. Louis.

Arnez Merriweather does not want to draw attention for his heroic actions but merely wanted to help his fellow residents get out of danger, Fox 2 reported Monday.

When smoke began filling the hallways of the unit inside the Hillvale Apartment complex, Merriweather dashed outside but remained calm. One family living on the second floor was in desperate need of help.

The smoke became much too thick for him to go back inside, so he urged the mother to drop her three-year-old down to him. Merriweather caught the girl, then helped her mother as she also came out the window.

“She jumped, and I grabbed her,” Merriweather recalled, adding the child’s grandmother would then emerge. She climbed from the second-floor window as he held onto her and they fell down.

According to Fox 2, the family was taken to a hospital and are expected to recover.

Following the harrowing rescue, Merriweather told reporters he and other people found maintenance ladders and helped additional residents escape.

“It’s just really heartening to see in a time where folks are really concerned about clicks, likes, and follows, that instead of capturing footage, this young man actually went into action to help his neighbors,” Capt. Garon Mosby with the St. Louis Fire Department, stated.

Merriweather described the incident to KSDK News:

Following the ordeal, the young man said, “I’m just glad everybody is okay. The clothes and material stuff you can replace.”

The cause of the fire is currently being investigated.

Meanwhile, social media users praised Merriweather and called him a hero.

“This young man has his heart and head in the right place. Maybe firefighting will be in his future. What ever he chooses to do he could be a great leader. We need more like him on earth!!!” one person said.

“He’s a hero and yet so calm & humble. Salute,” another commented.