Mom Tosses 3 Kids From 3rd Story of Burning Apartment As Cops Catch Each of Them

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It was a matter of life and death when one Des Moines woman woke up to witness her house on fire. Out of desperation to save her kids’ lives, she took a big leap of faith. This heart-pounding moment was caught on a body camera.

At around 3.00 a.m. on March 19, Iowa police officers responded to a case of a fire incident that had occurred in an apartment complex in 3700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.

When the officers arrived at the scene, mom O'Sheana Harrison was heard frantically screaming from a third-story window for help. She was trapped inside a blazing apartment with three young children.

As heavy smoke blocked officers from approaching the third floor of the apartment to rescue Harrison and her kids, they instead instructed the panic-stricken mom to toss her young children from the window.

“Get them by the window,” Officer Cole Johnson shouted. “Send them down. Drop him. Drop him. Keep going. Stay right here. I got them. Go. Go.”

In the face of this life-threatening situation, the desperate mom had no choice but to take the leap of faith.

“He was like, ‘you got to trust me,’ and I don’t trust nobody with my kids, but at that point in time all I thought was I had to get them out,” Harrison told CNN.

With the flames just a few feet away, Harrison dropped her children, from the third-story window, one by one, to senior police officers Cole Johnson, Craig Vasquez, Tyler Kelley, and Casey Sanders, who were standing outside the burning building.

Fortunately, the agile officers managed to catch the three children—3-month-old Jayciere, 18-month-old Ariyah, and 3-year-old Breeaylah—who were unharmed.

“The police were trying to catch me and my sister and my brother,” Breeaylah said.

After saving the kids from the tragic incident, the officers got a ladder to rescue Harrison. As the mom climbed out of the window, and down the ladder to escape the flames, Officer Casey Sanders remained by the kids’ side, who were unquestionably terrified.

“Are you scared, babies? It’s OK. They’re getting your mom out right now,” Sanders comforted the crying children.

“Before we had arrived, there were people in one of the apartments tossing down their kids. Police department caught three of them and then when fire crews arrived, they pulled one or two more out,” Lt. Rick Thomas with the Des Moines Fire Department told WHOtv.com.

This dramatic rescue, caught on a body camera, eventually made its rounds on social media.

Needless to say, the four Des Moines police officers are being hailed as heroes for their quick thinking and heroic action.

“True American Heroes,” one user wrote under the comments section of Des Moines Police’s Facebook post.

Another commented, “Such bravery in a time of chaos! Thank you!”

Harrison, who had lived in the apartment for only two weeks, told KCCI the smoke detectors failed to work, and it was a miracle she woke up that morning to discover the raging flames.

“My aunt says I have an angel watching over me,” Harrison said. “I don’t know what woke me up, but thank God I did.”

Unfortunately, the tragic fire destroyed Harrison’s home and all her possessions. But thankfully, her children remain safe and sound.

Undoubtedly the mom was beyond grateful to the officers for saving her kids’ life.

“Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart because I don’t know what I would do without my babies,” a tearful Harrison said.

Speaking to NBC 13, the mom said, “I can’t say thank you enough to them. I owe them the world, because they saved my world.”

After her brush with potential death in this incident, Harrison really cherishes the time with her kids.

She shared a message, “Just make sure you give your kids the tightest hug.”

Less than a week later, the Harrison family met up with DMPD officers and DMFD firefighters.

In a Facebook post, the Des Moines Police wrote: “Memories stack up throughout a police career, but this will likely be one of the most memorable for all involved…”

“Thank you to the Harrison family for sharing this time with us. Your gratitude is heartwarming!” the police department further added.

No injuries were reported, and the residents from the building have all been evacuated during the fire that appears to be contained to the third floor, according to WHOtv.com.

Though the cause of the fire remains under investigation, a man living in the unit next to Harrison told police it might be due to his space heater that the blaze could have started, KCCI reported.

Hats off to the brave police officers and firefighters for putting their lives on the line to keep the residents and the Harrison family safe.

Watch the dramatic rescue:

Thumbnail Credit: Facebook | Des Moines Police

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