A pizza delivery boy who stormed into a burning building and saved four children from certain death before jumping out a window with a fifth was hailed as a hero.
Nicholas Bostic, 25, drove through a neighborhood in Lafayette, Louisiana around midnight on July 11, when he saw a house engulfed in a raging fire.
He stopped outside to call 911, but realized he’d left his phone at home and, with no regard for his own safety, ran inside.
Bostic said he couldn’t see or hear anyone through the smoke and flames and was about to turn back when he saw the silhouette of a frightened teenager at the top of the stairs, tending a group of children.
He had spotted Seionna Barrett, an 18-year-old babysitting her three younger siblings and one of her friends while their parents played darts at a nearby bar.
Bostic sprinted up the stairs and managed to herd Seionna and three children – Shaylee, 13; Kaleia, 1; and Shaylee’s friend Livian Knifley, 13 – safely out on the street by the brutal fire.
Eyes and lungs already burning with heat, there was a cough and trembling at that moment, Seionna said, her six-year-old sister Kaylani, nicknamed “Baby K,” was still caught in the inferno.
“I ran in and looked under beds and closets, but I couldn’t find them,” Bostic said. “But when I got to the stairs, I heard a soft cry.”
“I thought, ‘I don’t want to die here,'” the rescuer said, but he knew it was Baby K’s only chance of escaping alive.
Holding his breath, Bostic picked up the crying child and groped his way up the stairs, unable to see anything through the thick black smoke but a small rectangle of light emanating from the upstairs rooms.
Once back upstairs, the heroic pizza delivery boy broke open a window, wrapped the girl around his left side and leaped into the air, falling two stories and stopping the girl’s fall with his own body.
Police bodycam footage shows the Bostic carrying a child out of a house engulfed in flames
Bostic is sitting on the curb, recovering from his efforts, when a fire truck pulls up at the scene
Bostic suffered severe smoke inhalation, burns and a lacerated arm after smashing the window and then jumping out of the house. He is pictured collapsed on the ground as a police officer checks him after the incident
Bostic is pictured on a ventilator after suffering severe smoke inhalation in the incredible rescue
Nicholas Bostic, 25, was driving through a neighborhood in Lafayette, Louisiana, around midnight on July 11 when he saw a house engulfed in a raging fire
Bostic was badly injured in the egregious rescue and collapsed immediately afterwards, having suffered smoke inhalation, burns to multiple parts of his body and a large laceration to his arm following the ruptured window and subsequent fall.
He was taken to hospital when the children’s parents, David and Tiera Barrett, arrived at the scene after receiving a call from Seionna that their house was on fire – the cause of which is not yet known and is being investigated.
Four of the five children miraculously escaped without any injuries – only baby K suffered minor trauma from the fall and was treated by first responders at the scene.
“We feel very blessed for what Nick has done,” said David Barrett The Washington Post.
“He’s a real hero and my daughter is a real hero when it comes to waking up the kids. I don’t like to think about what would have happened if Nick hadn’t shown up. I am eternally grateful.”
Meanwhile, Lt. Randy Sherer of the Lafayette Police Department: “[Bostic’s] Selflessness during this incident is inspirational.
“What he doesn’t understand is that his actions weren’t ordinary, they were extraordinary.
“He walked down those stairs to save that little girl when a moment ago he thought it was impossible… There’s only one way to define it: brave and heroic.”
Faith Holdman Bohannon, Livian’s grandmother, who was visiting the home for an overnight stay when the fire broke out, also said Bostic was a “true hero”.
Bostic has received praise from the children’s parents, law enforcement officials and local government officials for his incredible efforts. He is greeted here by the Mayor of Lafayette after recovering from his injuries
Nicholas Bostic, right, of Lafayette, Indiana, was honored by local officials for saving five children from a house fire on July 11, 2022. Mayor Tony Roswarski, left, greets Bostic in a photo posted by the City of Lafayette
Faith Holdman Bohannon, Livian’s grandmother, who was visiting the home for an overnight stay when the fire broke out, said Bostic (pictured) was a “true hero”.
The Lafayette community has since rallied around the Barrett and Bostic family, organizing multiple fundraisers and GoFundMe pages to help the family replace their belongings and pay for their rescuer’s medical needs.
Bostic told the Washington Post he appreciates the community’s help.
“Going to the hospital is expensive … I’m really grateful that everyone has been so kind and generous,” he said.
More than $30,000 has already been contributed by the Barrett family and other members of the community.
Bostic finally met the family as a whole for the first time at a service on Saturday, where David Barrett told his daughter’s savior he was “officially a part of the family” now.
