Neighborhood hero describes rescuing Baltimore County family from fire
A Baltimore County man is being called the neighborhood hero after rushing to rescue two children and their mother from a fire in Middle River on Tuesday morning.
Steven Angelini told WJZ he heard a loud sound, and at first he thought someone had hit his car, until he checked his Ring doorbell camera and saw flames burning a home across the street.
Video shows Angelini catching the children as they fell from a second-story window at the home on Kosoak Road.
"Immediately I saw the house engulfed in flames, and my reaction was to throw the phone down on the couch, put my slippers on, run across the street," Angelini said. "As soon as I hit the middle of the street, I could hear the screams coming from the boys and Ashley."
All three were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. A dog was found dead inside the home, according to officials.
Angelini told WJZ that the mother dropped the children out of the window, and he would either catch them or break their fall.
"I ran up to her, I said, 'You've got to drop the kids, you've got to drop them,'" Angelini said. "'I got them, just drop them, just drop them.' If I catch them, I catch them, but if I break their fall, they are going to be OK, they're gonna be alive, they're going to make it through."
Other neighbors sprang to action also, collectively saving the family.
Angelini said he couldn't imagine what might have happened if he weren't around. He said he and his neighbors are forever connected to this heroic act.
"Knowing that you saved someone's life and that bond we have is gonna last forever," Angelini said.
Baltimore County fires in 2026
Already, in 2026, three fires have claimed two lives in Baltimore County.
On Tuesday night, 4-year-old Wyatt Martin and her father were taken to the hospital after a fire in Parkville. The child died of cardiac arrest, and her dad remains in the hospital in critical condition.
Baltimore County recorded its first fire-related death of 2026 after another house fire in Parkville. The fire started in the basement of a home in the 1700 block of Weston Avenue. A woman was found in cardiac arrest during the response.
The woman, identified as 76-year-old Julia Ann Anderson, died from her injuries shortly after.
Baltimore County Fire Chief Joseph Dixon said a lot can go wrong to cause winter house fires.
"Statistically, the deadliest times of the fire season, and that's because people are using alternative heating methods," Dixon said. "Some people may be using stove, fireplace, chimneys that aren't maintained properly."
On Wednesday night, firefighters knocked on doors and offered services to check smoke detectors and essential services to neighbors in Parkville.
Firefighters said the family in Middle River had working smoke detectors.
Chief Dixon said to keep your home fire free, make sure any home devices you may be using to heat your home are being used to manufacturers standards and make sure to turn everything off before you go to sleep.
Dixon also said have working smoke detectors and have a plan to leave the home should a fire happen.
