NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Cynthia Booker had an angel looking out for her Tuesday.
That angel, Gabriel Journey, who serves in the Navy on the USS Albany and was two blocks from home Tuesday afternoon, saw the fire consuming part of the Mira Mar Apartments off of Sewells Point Road in Norfolk and raced over to help.
“He’s a real angel,” said Booker, who asked 10 On Your Side to help find the man who rescued her from the burning apartment building. “You know, if your name is Gabriel, you can’t go wrong.”
Journey said there was no hesitation on his part to help.
“I was trying to call 911, and ended up flagging down Sgt. Torino down, came back and saw people stuck in the second floor,” Journey said. “The flames had already spread, so there was no way out.
“At first I went under the window, and I said, ‘Jump, jump, jump,’ but I looked in your eyes, and I was like, ‘I’m crawling up. I’m going to get you,” he said Friday while standing next to Booker.
“This man came without hesitation,” Booker said, “without thinking about harm to himself. And he rescued me and my son. And I just want to say the United States Navy has a good man here. This man is awesome, and I want to thank him very, very much. He’s a real angel.”
An angel to remember.
“We need more people like this in the world,” she said, “to think about other people other than themselves. And like I said, without a thought of hesitation, it had nothing to do with the color, or anything. He risked his life to save me and my son, and I’m forever grateful.”
God’s grace and mercy?
“Yes, ma’am,” she said. “God’s grace and mercy, that’s how we made it through.”
The Red Cross is on hand to help families. Contact the Red Cross at 1-880-RED-CROSS. Three churches located near the scene are distributing clothing and other items that were donated by WAVY-TV 10 viewers.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.