A 25-year-old pizza delivery guy was out driving around 12:30 a.m. last week on July 11 in Lafayette, Indiana when he noticed a house on fire and decided to run inside to save the lives of five kids, according to a news release from the Lafayette Police Department.
Nicholas Bostic ran to the back door and began to yell inside the house to see if anyone was still inside, according to police. After not getting any response, he entered the home before the fire department and emergency personnel arrived at the scene, and then found four kids between the ages of 1 and 18 upstairs.
His screaming was able to wake them up, and then was able to help them all escape the burning house. After getting everyone safely outside, Bostic learned that there was a six-year-old still inside.
So, the young man went back in to the house engulfed in flames.
He entered the dark, smoke filled home and used his shirt to cover his mouth and nose. Bostic hear the child screaming, and crawled around to locate them. After finding the little girl, he was faced with another problem -- he couldn't find the back door.
Bostic was lucky to re-find the staircase, and make his way up with the child in his arms. He then broke open a window with his bare hands, and was prepared to escape, but the child's legs got caught on the cord from the blinds. After untangling the cords, he jumped out through the window and made sure to land on the opposite side he was holding the six-year-old, before getting up and carrying her to safety.
Lafayette Police posted a video from the scene of the fire, in which Bostic can be seen running outside with the child in his arms.
"I remembered seeing a window in the first room I checked for the child and I knew that would be the side to go on, that would probably be my best bet," Bostic told WLFI.
Bostic was "seriously injured during the incident - suffering from severe smoke inhalation and gravely cutting his right arm," according to police. Authorities added that the six-year-old somehow "was miraculously mostly uninjured."
"The bottom of my hands are blistered like I grabbed something hot. I recall seeing flames through the window as I was punching it out," Bostic told WLFI, per CNN.
"It was all worth it," he added. "I kept reminding myself what a small sacrifice. This temporary pain, oh ya it's so worth it."
Bostic was released from a local hospital on Wednesday, July 13, per WLFI, and said he was thankful to have helped save the children.
"Waking up every morning I have something to remind me of why I'm here, still alive. Why God keeps me here," Bostic said. "He used me like his instrument that night and man he worked like a G."
Lafayette Police said in the statement that a GoFundMe has been started to help pay for Bostic's medical expenses, as there have been about 8,500 donations for a total of around $280,000 as of July 19. Additionally, the Lafayette Aviators, a local summer collegiate baseball team, will donate proceeds from ticket sales for their game on August 2 to the fundraiser.
"Nicholas Bostic's heroic actions saved lives," Lafayette Police said. "His selflessness during this incident is inspiring, and he impressed many with his courage, tenacity, and steadfast calmness in the face of such perilous dangers."
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