A Mesa man is being nationally recognized by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission for his heroism when he saved the lives of two children and a dog in a burning apartment complex in 2022.
According to the Commission, then 25-year-old Jonathon Baez, who works as a painter, leaped into action on February 18, 2022, after seeing smoke issuing from a Mesa apartment building.
As Carnegie Hero Baez “approached the building, he learned that at least one child remained inside a second-floor apartment. After dire conditions prohibited him from entering the apartment at its front door, he went to the rear of the building, climbed to the roof of a storage shed, removed a window frame from a bedroom window 12 feet from the ground, and jumped up, grasping the base of the window sill and pulling himself partially through the opening. Baez found a 2-year-old girl just inside the window, pulled her to him and retreated, handing her off to a police officer nearby. After learning that her 6-year-old sister also remained in the apartment, Baez pulled himself to the window opening again, fully entered the bedroom and searched for the girl despite heavy smoke. Crawling, he found the girl in a closet, about 10 feet from the window opening. Holding her hand, he led her to the window and handed her down to another police officer. He then exited through the window to safety.”
According to the Commission, its two-fold mission is to “recognize and support those who perform acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada.”