Mom And 2 Kids Leap From Burning Apartment Into Arms Of Homeless Stranger.

The best neighbors never hesitate to to help when things go wrong. Mom-of-two Claudia Jimenez may or may not have ever thought of the homeless people camping near her Phoenix, Arizona apartment complex as neighbors, but when push came to shove in the early hours of a mundane Thursday, it was Joe Hollins who rushed to her aid.

Joe is homeless and was living near Claudia’s place with his wife when he heard the single mom’s cries for help from her second story window. A fire broke out in the apartment, and Claudia was trapped in her bedroom with her two daughters and two dogs.

“I opened my window and I started yelling ‘Please, someone help me, there’s a fire, I can’t get out through the front, I need someone to help me,'” Claudia recalled.

With firefighters still miles away, Claudia desperately called for someone to help her and her family escape the blaze. Joe heard her calls and appeared below her window, arms extended.

“He was right underneath and he was like ‘Yes, throw your daughters out, I’m going to catch them, I’m going to get them,'” said Claudia.

Claudia had no choice but to trust the stranger beneath her window. She carefully dropped 1-year-old Valerie first, followed by 8-year-old Natalie. The two dogs went next. Joe caught every single family member, then encouraged Claudia to jump as well.

“She didn’t want to come at first. She was scared she was going to fall,” Joe explained. “I was like ‘I got you. Don’t worry.'” 

Finally, Claudia made the leap, and Joe caught her too.

Firefighters arrived shortly afterward, but the apartment was a total loss. Claudia’s community is helping her and other people affected by the fire get back on their feet. In spite of the trauma of replacing her belongings, Claudia is beyond grateful just to have escaped with her and her family safe and sound. She knows she has one person to thank for that fact.

“I will forever be thankful to him, you know?” she said of Joe. “Like I said, to me he was an angel. Because of him we’re here, we’re alive, and my daughters are safe.” 

Joe remains humble about his heroic act, insisting that anyone would have done the same in those circumstances. We’re with Claudia, though – Joe was the angel she and her family needed that morning! We’re so glad everyone, even the pups, got out safely.

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