Heroes

Sign this guy up for the Chicago Bears! They could use a wide receiver.

A diapered 2-year-old boy was perched on the 6-inch ledge of his second-story Main Street apartment at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, holding a cookie in one hand and the windowsill in the other.

Meanwhile, his mother, Crystal Simonds, 21, was still asleep inside, according to police.

As the boy looked down on the sidewalk below, pedestrians stared in horror, watching him sway precariously close to the edge.

Jeffrey Leonard, a 51-year-old Danielson resident on his way to the hardware store, noticed the scene, parked his car and ran beneath the boy — the only person to get close enough to the building to catch him, Leonard said.

A Grandmother who was babysitting her step-son’s 3 month old infant, died shielding him from a tornado that ripped her house to pieces. The infant lived was unhurt.

A grandmother killed when a tornado bore down on her lakeside New Hampshire home died holding her stepson’s baby boy to protect him from gale-force winds and pounding rain.

The 3-month-old infant lived, his cries helping firefighters find and save him. His grandma, 57-year-old Brenda Stevens, was being hailed a heroine.

Way to go, dad.

Angel Rosa and his family live on the top floor of the three-story building.

Rosa jumped to the roof of a building next door. He then had his wife carefully hand over their infant son, Derek.

“He’s crazy,” said Millie Rosa, who did not have the nerve to leap.

Overcome with panic and a little smoke inhalation, Miami Beach firefighters had to carry her out of the building.

Freak-ay freak-ay freak-ay fresh.

A Jersey City disc jockey returning from a canceled gig rescued a naked 2-year-old girl who was about to wander into traffic.

Harvey King said he was driving home from a job he was to have played at Liberty State Park Sunday morning when he spotted the toddler about to cross a busy intersection. He stopped, grabbed her and drove her to a police station.

King says several people just stood and watched as the child wandered around the neighborhood shortly before 11 a.m.

A teenager who became stuck after “cave exploring” was finally rescued after 6 hours. Note to self: talk to the kids about avoiding things like “cave exploring”.

Police say the girl fell into a narrow area at about 7 p.m. Monday in what is known as the False Cliff Cave near the Dorset-Danby town line.

As part of the rescue effort, officials had to divert a stream flowing into the cave.

Police didn’t have the condition of the victim, but say she was stable and alert when brought out of the cave at about 1 a.m. Tuesday.

A sheriff’s deputy in Jackson County, Illinois is being applauded for rescuing an infant after the car the baby was in crashed into the Big Muddy River. And may we say, if you’re going to drive your car into a river, “big” and “muddy” aren’t exactly adjectives you want to hear.

Four women and an infant received minor injuries in that crash, but officials believe it could have been much worse if Deputy Brandon Craig hadn’t been there to help.

Craig was stationed in East Cape Girardeau Saturday night, observing drivers and making sure folks were obeying the speed limit.

Craig says he turned on his siren to stop a speeder that came in from Missouri, but the driver took off, taking Craig on a chase that would end in Jackson County at the Big Muddy.

A Nepal tween is being celebrated as a hero after he rescued a 2-year-old from a gorge.

Locals and relatives of the toddler were sure that the girl was alive after they heard her crying and calling out to her father for help, but as it was very dark inside the gorge they weren’t able to see where exactly she had fallen. They along with the rescue team had camped near the site all night long, praying for the safety of the child.

But all of them started fearing the worst after the child fell quiet after 8 am Wednesday morning.

Then out of the blue Kamal, a first grader at a local government school, arrived at the scene. His elder brother Salum had told him that only a very small and thin person could manage to get through the very narrow gorge to save the girl.

“A small girl like our own little sister is trapped in the gorge, would you like to go down to rescue her?” Salum had asked Kamal. Immediately after that Kamal had readied himself to go into the gorge.

We see our paranoia about our youngest eating grapes may be well founded.

A Fairfax County police officer helped save a 2-year-old boy who was choking on a grape Monday night, police said yesterday.

Pfc. Matthew Griffin arrived at a home in the 7200 block of Marlan Drive in the Belle View area and found the choking boy with his father.

A 12-year-old boy with autism fell into a creek in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was caught up in the current.

The river rescue team helped Conner Folkertsma, 12, up and over a fence to dry land around 12:30 p.m. Monday.

His sister told 24 Hour News 8 he wanted to go down to the creek behind West Catholic High School’s stadium and the neighboring cemetery. He was told no, but ran off along the swollen creek bank, lost a shoe, and fell into the racing waters.

“I kept telling him (to) grab onto something,” his sister Danielle Folkertsma said. “He tried so hard to grab on to something and he just kept yelling and it took him away. I couldn’t get him.”

Minor Topics HQ is actually near the Fox River, and with recent rainfall it’s pretty fast moving and intimidating. So no small accomplishment for a 10 year old to barely hesitate to save a toddler at risk of drowning. Way to go, little man.

“I feel like a hero,” [10 year old Peter Hamm] said.

Peter, who participates in the derby every year, was trailing behind his mother, Laura Hamm, and twin brother, Jacob, and was standing near the boy at the river’s edge.

Although Peter said he heard the 3-year-old’s father tell him to stay away from the river, the younger boy didn’t listen. The boy slipped into the water.

“I was thinking he was going to fall,” Peter said. “It took me a second to think what happened. I thought, ‘This boy is going to drown if I don’t save him,’ so I rescued him.”

Fortunately there are some teenagers out there that seem to have their wits about them. While driving in the early morning to catch his track team’s bus to go to a meet, Shane Biggs saw a little boy wandering in the middle of the road, a tragic accident waiting to happen.

“What? Is that a little boy? I thought I was seeing things,” said Biggs, who estimated the toddler’s age at 2 years old. “I go, ‘Are you lost?,’ and he was just crying, walking down the road. I took him by the shoulder and guided him over to the side of the road. Right when I did that, my sprinting coach was coming over the hill, and he probably wouldn’t have seen him.”

Biggs stayed with the toddler, who said his name was Matthew, until police arrived. They searched nearby homes. Several other cars had stopped by this time, and those drivers helped with the search. One of those volunteers eventually located the boy’s home less than a mile away.

What a brave young man! At only 9 years old, Gabriel Brady saved his little brother and sister after his mother’s ex-boyfriend shot and killed their parents. What a tragedy. The parents obviously raised this kid very well and now they are left without their parents. Gabriel will be added to our list of heros.

On the morning of Jan. 23, amid a barrage of gunfire, Gabriel Brady guided his 6-year-old sister and 5-year-old brother into a bathroom and locked the door. Realizing that his sister, Autumn Rodgers, had been shot in the foot, Gabriel wrapped it up to stop the bleeding.

The children’s mother, 29-year-old Katie Cabana, and 41-year-old Aaron Settipani of Eastport were killed.

Hailey Cronk, a Florida middle schooler is our hero today. She acted swiftly and decisively when she heard her neighbors toddler struggling, jumping into their pool to pull her to safety. The 12 year old gives this advice to parents — teach children how to swim at a very young age.

Smart young lady, a true inspiration MT thinks.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal, but everyone’s going ‘Oh my gosh you’re a hero!’,” says Hailey.

She was recently at a get-together with her parents at a home on Burnaby Lane. While the adults were inside, Hailey was asked to watch children at play. Hailey was sitting by the pool, working on her laptop, when all of a sudden she heard 3-year-old Jaden Ruddy struggling.

“I barely heard anything, but then I saw her little arms going up in the water and I was like, ‘oh my gosh,’ so I jumped in and got her.”

She says the toddler somehow unhooked the pool screen latch and was trying to walk on a blanket which was covering the water.

Finally some good news to report around here. Two sisters who were separated from their father while hiking in the Yacolt Burn State Forest outside of Portland, Oregon, have been found after spending more than 15 hours out in the wild.

Rescuers used heat-seeking technology to search for the Vancouver, Wash., family late Sunday. They found the father and his son overnight, but the daughters — ages 7 and 10 — were missing until 10:30 a.m. Monday.

The girls were found by ground searchers with Fire District 13, also known as the Volcano Rescue Team.

The search began Sunday night when the father called 911 to report his daughters were missing. Officials said the father and son sat down to rest during their hike, but the girls carried on and disappeared.

Rock on, Jack Dudley, you’re our hero of the day. His parents must be extremely proud.

Jack Dudley had been making the most of last Sunday’s sunshine by playing in the pool with Sam, three, as their parents watched nearby.

But when his mother went into the house and his father turned his back, the little boy slipped off his armbands to try to jump onto an inflatable lounger, but he missed and sank to the bottom.

Jack jumped into the pool and tried desperately to drag his brother to the surface but he slipped from his grasp the first time.

He dove down a second time before successfully bringing Sam up to the edge of the pool where he was pulled out by his mother Kim, 41.