"They did a great job," Milpitas Police Department Acting Assistant Chief of Police Tyler Jamison exclusively tells PEOPLE of heroic officers, Ricardo Barragan and Trayvon Hartley
Credit: Milpitas Police Department/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- A fire broke out in a California apartment on Feb. 21, leaving residents trapped on the balcony
- Authorities promptly arrived at the scene and instructed a child’s parents to drop her and their dog off the balcony and into the officer’s arms
- Both the 3-year-old and the dog were safely dropped, and the remaining residents were later rescued by the Milpitas Fire Department
A Bay Area police officer heroically saved a 3-year-old girl and a dog from a burning apartment.
On Feb. 21, around 3:10 p.m. local time, the Milpitas Police Department (MPD) was alerted to a fire in an apartment with people trapped inside, MPD Acting Assistant Chief of Police Tyler Jamison tells PEOPLE. MPD uploaded a social media post, which included the dispatch call and officers’ body cam footage.
The concerned resident called 911 to tell the dispatcher, “There’s a fire, and we can’t get out. It’s outside of our door but not inside our house.”
Less than two minutes later, Officers Ricardo Barragan and Trayvon Hartley arrived at the scene, covered in thick smoke, with the entrances and exits blocked by flames. Asst. Chief Jamison confirms to PEOPLE that the fire was next door.
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Upon their arrival, they had to “quickly” assess the situation and began speaking with the family of three trapped on the balcony. One officer then told the parents to drop their 3-year-old daughter off the balcony and into his arms.
“Where’s the baby? Where’s the baby? Throw her. Throw her,” he said. “I got her. Be careful. Be careful. Throw her. I got her. Drop her.”
Hartley caught the toddler, and Berrigan assisted by stabilizing the catch. Berrigan caught the dog, Jamison tells PEOPLE.
Credit: Milpitas Police Department/Instagram
The Milpitas Fire Department arrived soon after and safely removed the remaining two residents, two adults, from the balcony. No one was injured, but a few apartments were damaged.
Jamison says that the entire incident was "a terrifying experience" for the family, adding, "Anyone who goes through that is definitely shocked and terrified after the incident." He shares that the MPD provided the family with Red Cross resources to assist them in whatever way they may need.
"We got to get to there as fast as we can and we got to come up with a solution to our problem as fast as we can," MPD Sgt. Joseph Heylen told NBC Bay Area. "Most of the time, we just quickly think on our feet. Obviously these two officers thought really quick on their feet and were able to help the family out as fast as they could.”
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Jamison applauds the officers' work, saying they "did a terrific job."
The two officers are "hometown kids" and the department is "really proud of our officers and how they serve our community!" Jamison tells PEOPLE.
"Law enforcement in general is a very difficult job. They have to make split-second decisions every day. And I think this is one of many examples where they did a great job," he says. "We're very proud of the work that not only they do, but our entire department, just law enforcement as a community."
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