NJ detectives rescue infant, woman from house fire in Newark
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Detectives in Summit, New Jersey, are being hailed as heroes for their swift actions in rescuing a woman and infant from a house fire.
It was not exactly the job that Newark and Summit police signed up for, but emergencies are never planned.
"One of the reasons we get into this job is we have to overcome and adapt to situations and be ready for anything is at hand with us," Detective Darin Sliker said.
Detective Darin Sliker of the Summit Police Department found himself running into a burning home on Friday.
He and his partner, Detective Sergeant Ruddy Garita were working with Newark Police in search of a stolen BMW on South 19th Street when they came up on a different kind of danger.
"The last thing we thought that was going to happen was us pulling up to a fire," Sliker said.
Detective Sergeant Ruddy Garita heard harrowing screams coming from the side of the house.
"I saw - looked up and saw a female holding her infant child out the window," Garita said.
Garita looked around frantically trying to figure out a way to get the mother and child on the second floor and then stumbled upon a contractor's ladder.
"The oath we take isn't bound by the boundaries of where we work for. So we were lucky to be in the right situation and help out as much as we could," Garita said.
As Sergeant Garita improvised grabbing the woman and child, Detective Sliker searched the house through suffocating smoke to make sure no one else was trapped.
Neither detective is a trained firefighter, nor were they equipped with the right protective gear, but bravery was their most important tool.
"Our job is to help and save people so whatever the situation is we have to figure out a resolution," Sliker said.
As for the stolen BMW that brought them to the neighborhood in the first place, police are still looking for it.
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