Pizza Delivery Guy Saves Five Children From Burning Home In Incredible Rescue Story
A heroic tale of a pizza delivery guy from Lafayette, Indiana named Nicholas Bostic is one for the ages.
His nerves of steel not only displayed pure selflessness and courage in a moment of crisis, but it also saved the lives of five children, ranging from ages 1 to 18.
On July 12, the Lafayette Police Department and Lafayette Fire Department were alerted of a burning building around 2:00 a.m., discovered at the 2200 block of Union Street, per the police report.
As authorities showed up to the location, a 25-year-old man by the name of Nicholas Bostic was seen severely injured and holding a six-year-old girl who, moments earlier, had been stuck in a burning home filled with flames and pitch-black smoke.
Bostic spotted the burning residence while cruising through the area and immediately drove toward the home to ensure no one was inside.
He entered the house through a back door and as he searched through the home, he found four children that he was able to escort safely out of the still-burning home.
Bostic did not attempt to flag down a bystander or wait for authorities to respond when he first saw the home, understanding that there was no time to lose.
Once the four youngsters made it out, they alerted Bostic of a six-year-old girl still in the home.
"I asked them if anybody was left in there — and that's when they told me that the six-year-old was," he said. As the flames intensified, people were able to spot the burning home and alert authorities.
Bostic ran back into the home to rescue the little girl while responders were on their way.
At one point, while scouring through the ticking time bomb, Bostic was seemingly cut off by one remaining area filled with black smoke and without much visibility to walk through.
In that moment, the 25-year-old recounted giving himself a pep talk, recognizing that if he failed to check the area, the little girl would remain trapped and succumb to the fire.
"The last thing I could do was waste a second panicking," Bostic said.
He wrapped a shirt around his face and proceeded to search the area, mostly through tactile guidance without any real shot at of seeing through the smoke.
He heard whimpering and resorted to crawling on the ground in order to swiftly move through the area, soon locating the remaining child.
“I used my ears to guide me to her voice," said the Indiana man. “I grabbed her and held her snug and I ran up those stairs like a running back for the Colts."
Bostic ushered the girl out of the area, punched through a window with his bare fist and jumped out of the second story of the home with the girl in his arms.
He was discovered by the police with a heavily cut arm and severe lung damage from inhaling the smoke.
Bostic was air-lifted to an Indianapolis hospital to be treated for his injuries — he has been released since.
Lafayette Police released bodycam footage of Bostic's final rescue.
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"I'm glad I was there at the right time, the right place," Bostic added.
Lafayette Police Department
Bostic shared that the young ones have accepted him "as a part of their family" and that their father has offered to take him to dinner.
"If the opportunity came again and I had to do it, I would do it," he added. "I knew what I was risking. I knew the next second it could be my life. But every second counted."
The police department released a statement on Bostic:
"Nicholas Bostic's heroic actions saved lives. His selflessness during this incident is inspiring, and he has impressed many with his courage, tenacity and steadfast calmness in the face of such perilous danger. The Lafayette Police Department and the Honorable Mayor Tony Roswarski are eternally grateful for Nicholas' intervention and would like to publicly recognize him for his actions."
For his heroic actions, Bostic will be honored at the August 2 National Night Out event for the Lafayette Aviators,