Indiana police catch children, adult as they jump from apartment window to escape fire, bodycam video shows
Indiana police released dramatic bodycam video showing officers catching multiple children and an adult who were forced to jump from a second-story window after a fire trapped them inside their apartment on Sunday.
Officers responded around 1 a.m. to a structure fire in the 600 block of Walnut Street in Madison, where they found multiple people trapped in an upstairs apartment and the staircase leading outside engulfed in flames, the Madison Police Department said.
Harrowing bodycam video showed a group of officers below the building’s second-story window, urging the children and an adult female to jump into their arms.
"Just jump! You have to!" one officer can be heard yelling.
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"We got you!" another officer shouted as the apartment filled with smoke.
Bodycam video shows officers urging the children to jump from the window. (Madison Police Department)
"Come on! We’ll catch her! We’ll catch her!" the officers continued to yell.
Police said a child inside the home broke out windows before each child jumped out one at a time. The children were heard screaming as they fell into the arms of officers and detectives. Officers also caught one adult female who leaped from the window.
Madison police caught multiple kids and an adult who were forced to jump out of a second-story window after a fire trapped them inside their apartment. (Madison Police Department)
"I think I kind of just went into dad mode," Officer Phillip Wimpee told WHAS-TV. "That's how I spoke to them, calling them 'sweetie pie.' It was no different than how I would have talked to my kids to try to get them calm in that situation. It resonates with the rest of us who are fathers."
Officers also entered the ground-level apartments to ensure no one else was trapped inside.
The fire engulfed the staircase leading outside. It was unclear what caused the fire. (Madison Police Department)
Officers Josh Nolan and Kyle Potter, both experienced firefighters, fought the blaze until more firefighters arrived on scene, according to the department.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Madison is a city located about 90 miles south of Indianapolis on the border with Kentucky.