Philadelphia man says he helped 9-year-old seriously injured in Northeast jet crash: "Ramesses is strong"
Caseem Wongus and a friend had just wrapped up dinner at the Raising Cane's on Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia Friday night when his life would change forever. Just blocks from where he was sitting, a jet crashed into the road.
"That's when I hear the explosion, feel the vibration, and see the glass shake on the Raising Cane's window. And it was just like a big ball of fire," Wongus said.
He tells CBS News Philadelphia he wasn't sure what was happening right away, thinking it may have been a gas explosion or major car crash. But as he left the restaurant, he recalled seeing the faint shape of a person emerging from the flames.
"And as he got closer, I could see his small frame. And I'm like, 'That's a little kid!'" Wongus said.
That boy, Wongus says, was a 9-year-old named Ramesses. Through the chaos, Wongus says he rushed toward the boy looking to help him in any way that he could.
"[I] threw my jacket around him because he was still on fire. So I ran over there and pat the flames out on his back," Wongus said.
Wongus says, fortunately, a Philadelphia police officer was on the scene almost immediately, saying he could only remember him as "Officer Shaun." Wongus says together they were able to help Ramesses into the back of the squad car before taking off for St. Christopher's hospital.
Wongus says he got into the back of the car with the boy, looking to comfort him and keep him calm.
"I'm just trying to get him to breathe, focus on your breathing. Can you breathe for me?" Wongus said. "And I asked him, what'd you do for your birthday? He said he went to Rolling Thunder. … At one point, while we're in the car, he tells me the jacket's hurting him. So I put my arm over him to try to take it off, and I could feel it sticking to his arm and his back. So I'm slowly trying to peel it off him without hurting him."
Wongus credited the officer for getting them to the hospital quickly, and says a strong Ramesses was able to walk himself into the emergency room despite the serious injuries he was facing.
But it would be the last time he would see the boy. Family members told CBS News Philadelphia Ramesses was flown to a hospital in Boston for care, and that he had burns across 90% of his body.
In the days after the crash, Wongus said he tried to reach out to the hospital and police to get updates on Ramesses' status, without much luck. It wasn't until he saw CBS News Philadelphia's Wakisha Bailey's interview with Ramesses' grandmother, Virgen Viera, this week, that he got some word.
"I was like 'OK, he's still alive. Family found him,'" Wongus said.
These past few days have been tough for Wongus. He said he's had trouble sleeping, as he relives those intense moments from Friday. But he was amazed at the strength Ramesses showed that night, and he wanted to share a message with his family.
"Ramses is strong and courageous and truly a warrior for being able to walk himself through that fire," Wongus said.
According to Viera, Ramesses' father was killed in the fire but said the family is unable to grieve while they're focused on Ramesses' recovery at a burn center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Wongus tells CBS News Philadelphia he is hoping to connect with the family and see Ramesses again soon.
