Cory Booker, a former Stanford wide receiver, said he thought he might die when he dashed through a burning, smoky kitchen to find and rescue a neighbor.

Quote:

---

Hospital officials say the woman rescued from a burning home in Newark, N.J., by the city's mayor has been admitted to intensive care in serious condition.

Fire officials say 47-year-old Zina Hodge suffered second-degree burns to her back and neck and smoke inhalation.

Mayor Cory Booker ran through a burning kitchen to rescue his neighbor from her second-floor bedroom late Thursday. He suffered a burned hand and smoke inhalation.

---

Who says being a student athlete does not improve societal worth?

SchadenBear;736533 said:

---

Cory Booker, a former Stanford wide receiver, said he thought he might die when he dashed through a burning, smoky kitchen to find and rescue a neighbor.



Who says being a student athlete does not improve societal worth?

---

Trees burn. His actions sound much more bear-ish.

A "come to Jesus moment."

Quote:

---

The mayor of New Jersey's largest city said Friday he feared for his life as he helped rescue a neighbor from a fire before firefighters had arrived.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, speaking on "CBS This Morning," described how he returned home Thursday night and saw his neighbor's home engulfed in flames. A woman was screaming that her daughter was still inside.

The mayor's security detail tried to drag him away, but Booker told them that the woman was going to die, Detective Alex Rodriguez told CBS. "Without thinking twice, he ran into the flames and rescued this young lady," Rodriguez said.

Booker, 42, an up-and-coming Democratic politician who has been mentioned as a possible future candidate for governor, said he feared for his life as the kitchen erupted in the flames and he couldn't find the woman. The woman called out, he said, and Booker grabbed her from a bed and threw her over his shoulder.

"I punched through the kitchen and the flames and that's when I saw Detective Rodriguez. He grabbed her as well and we got her down the stairs and we both just collapsed outside," Booker said.

The mayor described it as a "come to Jesus moment."

Booker said he couldn't breathe after he got outside. He was treated and released from a hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation and second-degree burns.

Booker's thumb and first finger of his right hand were bandaged.

Booker, who is 6-foot-3, was a tight end for the varsity football team at Stanford University, where he got his undergraduate and master's degrees. He got a law degree from Yale University and as a Rhodes scholar also got a degree from Oxford.

The woman Booker helped save is in stable condition with second-degree burns to her back and neck.

"Honestly it was terrifying and to look back and see nothing but flames and to look in front of you and see nothing but blackness," Booker said. The mayor said he now has an even more profound respect for firefighters.

Booker is known for helping constituents, even shoveling snow during a blizzard that snarled his city and the Northeast in 2010.

A prolific social media user, he tweeted late Thursday that he was fine and thanked his followers for their well-wishes.

"Thanks 2 all who are concerned. Just suffering smoke inhalation," Booker tweeted. "We got the woman out of the house. We are both off to hospital. I will b ok."

He then posted a tweet early Friday morning that read: "Thanks everyone, my injuries were relatively minor. Thanks to Det. Alex Rodriguez who helped get all of the people out of the house."

---

he has done a lot for/with Newark...don't be surprised to see his name in higher positions of office...

A good upstanding guy, regardless of political or school affiliation. That's legit. Good story.

HarborBear93;736553 said:

---

A good upstanding guy, regardless of political or school affiliation. That's legit. Good story.

---

Great job by both Mr. Booker and Detective Rodriguez!

I have seen him many times on cable news/commentary shows. He is an awesome dude. Now he has his own JFK PT 109 back story. Definitely a "walk the walk" kind of person. Hopefully I can vote for him some day.

SchadenBear;736543 said:

---

A "come to Jesus moment."

---

Come to "whomever it may concern" is the preferred terminology

Actually Booker and Christie are on very good terms, and can legitimately be called friends.
Word is Booker may be in line for Sen. Lautenberg's seat, Lautenberg is 90, and it is unlikely his constituents could see him in office for six more years. The Mayor truly displayed a very humble and thankful attitude, deflecting the attention he was getting to the Newark Fire Department. The Fire Chief said it was a good save, which is high praise.
I grew up in the neighborhood Booker lives in now. It was a very tough neighborhood then, and even tougher now. He does walk the walk.

JerseyBear;736767 said:

---

I grew up in the neighborhood Booker lives in now. It was a very tough neighborhood then, and even tougher now. He does walk the walk.

---

This country needs more of that type of style.

Ditto. Would like a chance to vote for him.

I can't remember the Stanford linebacker from the 1990's, who was playing for the Atlanta Falcons, who rescued someone from a burning car. Anyone?

When my son was contemplating attending Stanford we were invited to Parent's Day and Cory Booker was our host for the day. He had nothing to gain or lose by how he presented himself and his views, but I immediately took a liking to him and found him to be a very smart and well spoken young man at the time and thought "this kid is going places." So I have followed his career and saw him interviewed on 60 Minutes, and quite frankly his behavior does not surprise me one bit. Heck he lived in the projects for a year and a half to try to understand what living there in Newark was like.

I really hope he rises up in the Democratic Party as we can use more people like him quite frankly. Good guy all around!

His parents a were IBM'ers if I am correct and doing some of their own ground breaking themselves and taught him well.

:bravo

Very cool show on Cory Booker's family history just aired recently and is available to watch online!

http://video.pbs.org/video/2209169895