Postman Catches Twin Infants Tossed During Fire

Jermaine Shirley caught Ishmael and Israel Codner, one at a time, from the hands of their father Everdean, a neighbor of his in the apartment building. The twins were released from Jacobi Medical Center in good condition.

Shirley was heading to work around 7 a.m. Wednesday when he smelled smoke in his Bronx building. He alerted his neighbors and then got outside to hear Everdean Codner calling for help from his third-floor apartment, the Daily News reported.

Shirley ran to the back of the building and saw the neighbor on the fire escape with his twins. He pushed himself up onto an extension of the building and looked up at the father standing by the fire escape.

“I told him, ‘Drop the baby,’” Shirley said.

Shirley caught the first toddler and handed him off to Codner’s nephew and then caught the second boy.

The rest of the family made it down the fire escape.

Mr. Codner said he was supposed to be at work but he had overslept, allowing him to participate in his family’s rescue.

“Jermaine and my nephew are both heroes, I have to thank them, they’re the best,” the grateful dad said. “We’re here today because of our neighbor’s quick response.”

This article appeared in print on page 4 of the December 19th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.