People.com Human Interest 'Absolute Hero' Catches Baby and Toddler from Burning N.J. House That Was Home to Family of 7 Mario Reyes, a father of four, said he didn't think twice about helping out By Rachel DeSantis Rachel DeSantis Instagram Twitter Rachel DeSantis is a writer/reporter covering music at PEOPLE. She has held various roles since joining the brand in 2019, and was previously a member of the human interest team. As a music writer, Rachel interviews everyone from rock-and-roll legends to up-and-coming stars for magazine feature stories and digital news stories. Rachel is based in New York City, and previously worked as an entertainment reporter at the New York Daily News after getting her start as an Entertainment Weekly intern. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 13, 2020 03:09 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Piscataway Township A New Jersey father of four is being praised as a hero after he helped rescue a family of seven from their burning home by catching their young children from a second-story window. Mario Reyes stepped up early Tuesday morning after his neighbor’s two-story home caught fire in Piscataway, according to a Facebook post from Piscataway Township. Reyes, who lives across the street, not only caught two children who were tossed from a window, but “went into the burning house at risk of his life to save others, bringing one adult out of the house,” the post said. Angel Gomez, who lived in the home, said the window was the only way out, and that she called down to Reyes below before dropping the children. “I said, ‘I’m gonna throw them downstairs, I’m gonna throw them to you.’ I sent all my kids down and he was catching them. Every throw, he would catch them,” she told WLNY. “Thank God for him, because he didn’t drop them at all. He was just catching them, catching them, catching them.” Neighbor Bianca Clark Muhammad was the one to call 911, and told the outlet that Reyes at one point used a sledgehammer to knock down bars on the basement window, from which a man inside the house emerged. “This man is an absolute hero,” she said. “Like, he caught babies, he broke down bars. And if they didn’t react the way they did, I’m certain that no one would’ve survived that.” 4 Teens Rush Into Burning Home to Save 90-Year-Old Neighbor: ‘The Smoke Was So Bad’ She said she went into her home to find clothing for the displaced family, which includes two babies and a toddler, as they took refuge in Reyes’ home. RELATED VIDEO: Toddler Tragically Dies in Fire After Running Into His Burning Home to Try and Save His Puppy “He really saved us, he saved our lives,” Gomez told WLNY. Reyes told the outlet, using his son as a translator, that as a father of four he didn’t think twice about helping. Uncle Who Saved Niece, 8, by Running Into Burning House ‘Would Do It Again’ Despite Severe Burns The family members were all taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for examination and treatment, according to the Facebook post. Multiple agencies, including the New Market Fire Department and the North Stelton Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, responded to the scene. The house was entirely destroyed.