Cops acted fast to catch a girl jumping from a balcony to escape a burning third-floor apartment in Mahwah Township, New Jersey, on Tuesday, and luckily no one was injured.
Sofiya Doroshenko, 9, was home alone and trapped by the raging flames that damaged half of the apartments in the
24-unit complex, authorities told NorthJersey.com. Police were working to evacuate everyone when they arrived on the scene, and then saw the young girl standing on her balcony trapped.
"I was at home, saw black smoke coming from the door of my
room," Doroshenko told CBS New York. "I went out on the balcony and began to wave my hands."
Mahwah Police Lt. Jeff Dino, Sgt. Brendan Mullin, and Officer Tom Solimano saw Doroshenko and knew that she would have to jump from the balcony to escape.
"They said 'jump,'" the girl told the television station. "[I] climbed over the balcony and I just jumped backwards off the balcony. I was thinking on the jump, don't be scared."
Dino told NorthJersey.com that he was impressed with the little girl's bravery.
"I've never seen anything like it," he said. "That kid was calm and in control. That's the bravest little kid I've ever seen. I thought we were going to have a hard time convincing her. She put a lot of faith in us."
Mullin was impressed with Doroshenko's willingness to trust the officers.
"I really think she deserves the most credit here because of the way she reacted," Mullin told CBS.
Doroshenko's mother, Yulyia Doroshenko, told NorthJersey.com that Sofiya was unharmed except for a few scratches.
"She's very brave," the mother said. "But she's also in stress."
Investigators believe the blaze was started by an elderly neighbor in a microwave, according to CBS New York.
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