NYCHA Workers, Residents Help Teens Escaping Fire

Just after a fire was extinguished at Riis Houses, word soon spread about how a group of good Samaritans met tragedy with heroism: the NYCHA employees, residents, and construction contractors who sprang into action with a quick-thinking solution to keep two young residents out of harm’s way.   

The incident unfolded after a fire broke out on the fourth floor of the Manhattan development at about 7:15 a.m. on December 16. Resident Building Superintendent Caroline Torres said she immediately called 911 after a worker alerted her to the blaze.  

Two teens, a boy and a girl, were seen leaning out of the window of a fourth-floor apartment with smoke billowing out, and onlookers rushed to find ways to come to their aid. An adult man was later found dead by firefighters in the apartment, and an adult woman was found in critical condition.   

“We were really desperate; I didn’t want to see anything happen to them,” Ms. Torres said of the teens seeking rescue. 

NYCHA caretakers Leon Richardson and Naquan Payne were picking up garbage in front of the building when people came over, calling for them to quickly bring their truck. As they drove to the area near the burning apartment, Mr. Richardson said he “saw a whole lot of commotion.”  

“I see there’s a huge flame and a huge fire on the fourth floor,” he recalled. 

The two caretakers could see the teens looking for a way out of the window and knew they had to act quickly.  

“When I saw them it broke my heart, so we knew we had to do something to make sure they were safe,” Mr. Payne said. Mr. Richardson added: “Everybody moved with a sense of urgency. I just had to make that quick decision to help them out to the best of my ability.” 

With the back of their truck filled with garbage bags, the workers devised a plan to use the truck bed as “some kind of safety net,” where the trash bags could act as a cushion if the youth attempted to jump to safety. But beneath the smoke-filled window was a construction site blocked by a fence, forcing those in the area to tear down the fence to allow the truck to enter.  

Among the others who rushed to assist with clearing out the scene were Ms. Torres, NYCHA Supervisor of Grounds Jamar Brown, Riis Houses residents, and two construction contractors from WDF Inc., George Serrano and Jonathan Fonseca. Despite the group’s efforts, the truck was unable to back up directly below the burning window after getting stuck in a ditch on the construction site.  

The dramatic moments intensified when the two youths were instead directed by the crowd below to grab onto a pipe running from the ground up the side of the building. The teens both managed to latch onto the pipe; as flames raged above, they held on courageously before sliding down to people who helped them on the ground. 

“Luckily that pipe was there next to the window,” Ms. Torres said.  

The injured teen residents were taken to the hospital in stable condition. Albert Suggs, a NYCHA neighborhood administrator in Manhattan, praised the actions of NYCHA employees and others in working together and coming to the rescue of the survivors.  

“I think it was a great humanitarian effort,” Mr. Suggs said. “They actually went into action to try to make something happen.” 

Photo caption: NYCHA employees (from left), including Caretaker Leon Richardson, Caretaker Naquan Payne, and Resident Building Superintendent Caroline Torres, as well as WDF contractors Jonathan Fonseca and George Serrano, were among those who rushed to help two teens trying to escape the fire at Riis Houses.