Margaret, New York — For a group of Whitesboro teenagers on Saturday, an already remarkable evening became much more unforgettable.
Just before Saturday night, the teenagers were on their way to a friend’s house after departing the junior prom when they came upon a garage caught in flames.
Pounding on the front door of the house, Aiden Kane assisted two children and their father in evacuation.
“I grabbed the girls and ran them across the street to my girlfriend, who was comforting them,” Kane said. “Then I ran back across the lawn where I saw the dad, and we just went away from the fire.”
Tyler Sodja checked to see nobody was in the burning garage, while Donato Jellenich dialed 911.
“You just have to react; it’s just like fight or flight. Knowing that I observed the small children as he pulled them out of the house, I knew we did the right thing since, should that be myself in that position, I would expect someone would assist and notify me. And I’m simply happy the family is alright,” Sodj said.
While the Maynard Fire Department declared the teenagers are heroes, the family expressed thanks for the efforts the youngsters took Saturday night.
Wanting to be a New York State trooper, Kane expressed his lack of heroic feeling.
“Although it could have ended up spreading to it, it wasn’t the building on fire. Someone else would have definitely seen before me. I sure stopped their house from burning down. Although I’m not sure if I’m a lifesaver, we most certainly helped with his house at least.” Kane stated.
