Keningau man tells what made him save two kids
Published on: Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Johor: Thoughts of his son in Sabah gave Jerald Marino extraordinary strength to pry open a locked door grille to save two children trapped inside a burning house here on Saturday night. The 29-year-old chef's heroic act saved the lives of a 12-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother, who were home alone in Taman Abad here in the 11.30pm incident. Jerald, who lives 100m away from the children's house, said he was hanging his laundry in his verandah when he heard a neighbour screaming about a fire.
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"I ran to see what was happening. It was chaos as neighbours were trying to douse the flames but the fire raged on. "I saw a girl and a boy standing at the front door grille and they could not get out. The girl was crying. She told me that the house keys were with their mother, who was at work," he said.As the smoke became thicker, Jerald rushed to the back door to see if the children could escape from there.
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"The back door was padlocked. I found a brick and smashed it against the padlock but it did not break." Jerald then did the unthinkable and pulled the bottom corner of the grille with all his might.
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The gap he made allowed the children to escape. He carried the boy in his arms while the girl followed him. Jerald suffered cuts on the hands but he did not mind as the children were safe. "The children had no one else to help them. When I saw them, I saw my 9-year-old son back in my village in Keningau, Sabah. What if it was my son trapped in the house?" said Jerald, who works at a Japanese restaurant in Komtar JBCC shopping mall here. Jerald, who stands at 160cm, said he was surprised by his own bravery and strength. A neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Cheng, said: "The children are alive thanks to Jerald. He is a hero." Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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