http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/newark_mayor_cory_booker_taken.html
Newark Mayor Cory Booker was taken to a hospital tonight after a fire broke out in his neighborhood and he went inside to rescue one of the occupants, according to city officials.
The fire occurred at a two-story building on Hawthorne Avenue in the Upper Clinton Hill neighborhood, shortly before the mayor had arrived home following a taped television interview on News 12 New Jersey.
The mayor announced on his Twitter account tonight that he suffered from smoke inhalation, saying he was on his way to a hospital for treatment.
"Thanks 2 all who are concerned. Just suffering smoke inhalation," Booker tweeted. "We got the woman out of the house. We are both off to hospital. I will b ok."
Booker, who was taken by emergency medical workers to University Hospital in Newark, later told The Star-Ledger he suffered second-degree burns on his hand.
The woman inside the house was taken to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston with burns to her back and neck and was in stable condition tonight, said Newark Fire Director Fateen Ziyad.
Heavy smoke and fire were pouring from the house at about 9:30 p.m. when Booker was arriving home from the television appearance.
A member of his security detail posted at his house had spotted the fire moments earlier and gone into the building, alerting people on the first floor of a fire and then rushing to the second floor, Ziyad said.
There, an elderly man was inside trying to put out the fire, which had started in the kitchen.
View full sizeTwitterNewark Mayor Cory
Booker announced on his Twitter page tonight that he suffered smoke
inhalation and was heading to a hospital for treatment.After the security detail pulled him from the house, Booker arrived, dashing upstairs with other members of his security detail and yelling for the woman in the building.
"I'm back here, I'm back here," she yelled from a back bedroom, Ziyad was told by the mayor. After his security detail held him back, he told Ziyad, the mayor then yelled out to his guards to release him.
"She is going to die, she's going to die," he said, and crossed the smoke and flames before grabbing the woman.
Along with the security detail, Booker carried the woman in his arms through the spreading fire and smoke out of the building, Ziyad said.
Booker's chief of staff, Modia Butler, said after the mayor arrived home from the News 12 interview, he saw that the building next to his home was on fire and none of the residents were outside.
"He just darted inside," Butler said. Booker pulled one resident out and then went back for another, followed by his security detail. "Then he started suffering smoke inhalation."
As fire and EMS arrived, they administered oxygen to Booker and his security detail and sent the mayor to the hospital.
Newark Fire Chief John Chief Centanni was at the hospital with Booker tonight and said the mayor and his detail were "banged up" but would be fine. The residents of the building also appeared to be OK.
Centanni said the mayor executed a professional rescue and possibly saved the life of one resident. "He was wrestling with his detail trying to keep him out of there," Centanni said, but added that the mayor got past them.
"They made their way to the second floor. They worked their way through there. We had some flame and heavy smoke conditions," Centanni said.
"It was a very successful rescue actually," the fire chief added. "The situation could have been definitely a tragedy because it was just getting started."
HEAVY FLAMES INSIDE THE HOUSE
Reached late tonight, Booker told The Star-Ledger he saw a lot of flames inside the house and thought he might have to jump out of a window.
"We got everybody out of the house but their daughter's screaming, 'I'm upstairs!' " Booker said. One of his security officers, Alex Rodriguez, tried to sop him from going back in. "Now we actually get into a fight because his job is to protect me."
Booker said when he reached the second floor, he was engulfed in flames and smoke.
"I suddenly had the realization that I can't find this woman." the mayor said. "I look behind me and see the flames and I think, 'I'm not going to get out of here.' Suddenly I was at peace with the fact that I was going to jump out the window."
"I just grabbed her and whipped her out of the bed," Booker added. The two made their way downstairs, where they both collapsed, the mayor said.
Rodriguez, who had helped others out of the house, said when he saw the mayor go in, he thought his career in protection was over.
"Once he went in, I said, 'Oh my goodness, this is it.' " Rodriguez, 39, said.
It was not immediately known how the fire started and how much damage occurred.
Star-Ledger staff writers David Giambusso and Ryan Hutchins contributed to this report.
Re: Newark Mayor Cory Booker taken to hospital after rescuing woman from house fire
This is amazing.
I admit to not following his politics too closely, but whenever I hear or read about him, I can't help but love Cory Booker. He just seems so grounded and intelligent and reasonable. Imagine that in a politician.
Now if someone comes in here and tells me he supports unions' insane demands or increased taxes, I will delete this post, LOL.
he is so hot.
that's me. bringing it with the intellectual discourse.
but damn. hot. absolutely killer smoking omigah on a politician scale for sure. but hot hot on a regular guy scale too.
Get out of my head.
Has he ever actually come out? He has always registered pretty heavily on my gaydar but I'm not aware that it's been officially acknowledged.
I am in love with Cory Booker. I recently watched the show on
PBS where he traces his ancestors. He does seem too good to be true.
Plus, he is HOT!!!!