Video shows neighbors warn Toms River, N.J. family that their house was on fire
A Toms River, New Jersey, family is thankful for their neighbors after Ring cameras captured the moments they rushed to the front door to warn the homeowners that their house was on fire.
The footage shows a stunning scene, as the neighbors, surrounded by flames, rang the bell, and banged on doors and windows.
"'Get out of the house! There's a fire'"
Homeowner Jonathan Pope described the chaos that happened late Saturday night on Leawood Avenue.
"I just hear, boom, boom, boom, pounding on the garage," Pope said. "It sounded like a truck or a car was hitting my garage. I thought people were breaking in so I ran out, gave it a peek over, and I see somebody opening the front door, with lights all around him, and he's like, 'Get out of the house! Get out of the house! There's a fire.'"
Pope added, "All around there was just lit up, debris was falling on him. I just screamed to my wife, 'Hey, grab the baby.' She ran out first. I made sure she was out and then I just came out."
The video shows Pope's wife carrying their 9-month-old baby out of the burning house, with her husband following close behind.
"They saved our family"
Everyone got out unharmed, thanks to those neighbors, who saw flames and raced over. Members of the Pope family said they were in the back bedroom and didn't even know there was a fire, until those neighbors came and made all that noise.
"So thankful," Pope said. "They saved our family, yeah."
The community stepped up in more ways than one. After the fire, neighbors brought over water and gave the family a place to change the baby.
CBS News New York was told there is extensive smoke and water damage inside. The Pope family said the cause of the fire is not yet clear.