Rest assured that Everdean Codner, a Bronx man will have a peaceful holiday after knowing that his quick thinking ensured the safety of his infant twins.
Early Wednesday morning, December 18, Codner and his wife awoke to the noise of what they eventually discovered to be flames. After a trip down the fire escape with 11-month-old Ishmeal and Israel proved to be unsuccessful, he attempted the only logical option who could muster in situations like these.
Via NBC:
Everdean Codner told NBC 4 New York that he and his wife woke to the smell of smoke and heard noise in the hallway of the home on East 220th Street. He opened the window and saw “flames gushing out” below, he said.
The family tried to climb down the fire escape, but could not make it with the 11-month-old boys, Codner said.
“I start screaming, ‘Somebody help me catch this baby,’ because I wasn’t going to try to, like, risk it,” Codner said.
A neighbor and a relative scrambled to their aid from the ground, and caught the babies one by one, Codner said.
Codner and his wife then made their way down, he said. The babies were taken to the hospital and were expected to be fine.
Ironically, Everdean was playing hookey from work and decided to stay home that day. The neighbor was actually confirmed to be postal worker mailman Jermaine Shirley who was on the right route at the right time.
“I told him, ‘Drop the baby,'” Shirley said to NYDailyNews.
He had been getting ready for his first day of work and almost left to start his day until he smelled the smoke.
Check the photos from the angle where the babies had to land to safety.
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Photo: NBC, Michael Schwartz
