Desperate Mom Tosses Her 3-Year-Old from 2nd Floor into Neighbor's Arms during a Fire

Despite not wanting to draw attention to his actions, a Missouri man is being hailed a hero for saving lives during a horrific apartment fire. The young man also helped rescue a toddler, her mother, and her grandmother.

Jeopardizing your life for the sake of others sounds pretty heroic. While people in uniforms are thought to be the only ones responsible for safeguarding people's lives, it turns out that civilians can also save the day sometimes.

Something similar happened in north St. Louis, Missouri, when a fire broke out inside an apartment building in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood on Monday, November 30.

THE BRAVE RESCUER

Anything can happen in the blink of an eye, and for the residents of the Well-Goodfellow neighborhood, Monday morning turned out to be nothing less than a nightmare.

Everything was engulfed in thick smoke after the apartment unit at the Hillvale Apartment complex on Selber Court caught fire. 30-year-old Arnez Merriweather received the news of the tragic fire when a loud bang on his door woke him up.

As it turned out, Merriweather's sister had dropped by to tell him the adjacent building was ablaze. The young Missouri man, who sells mattresses for a living, came out of his building and decided to help his fellow apartment residents.

SAVING THE DAY

The flames were too thick for Merriweather to go inside the building. He then saw a mother dangling her 3-year-old daughter from a second-floor window. The young guy safely caught the toddler and her mother as they climbed out of the burning building.

The American Red Cross is assisting the families affected by the fire.

The 3-year-old baby Merriweather rescued has been identified as Tayliah Williams. She and her mother, Latisha Williams, were immediately taken to an ambulance and transported to a nearby hospital. They're out of danger and doing fine.

Moreover, the brave Missouri man also helped save the toddler's grandmother, who was taken to the same hospital as her daughter and granddaughter. Captain Garon Mosby of the St. Louis Fire Department appreciated Merriweather in these words:

“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 (sic)."

After saving the toddler and her family, Merriweather took a ladder from a maintenance truck nearby and helped other residents safely escape the horrific fire.

NOT SEEKING ATTENTION

The heroic Missouri rescuer said he helped his fellow apartment residents because he felt it was the right thing to do. He further explained that he wasn't looking for attention or praise from anybody. Further, he added:

“I’m just glad everybody is okay. The clothes and material stuff you can replace."

The American Red Cross is assisting the families affected by the fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. We're glad Merriweather acted just in time and helped save so many precious lives. More power to him.