John J. Stickovich

John J. Stickovich rescued Opal Siska from burning, Cleveland, Ohio, May 6, 2024. Opal, 11 months old, was on the floor in her family’s first-floor unit in a two-and-a-half-story house after a fire broke out in the living room, blocking entry at the front door. Stickovich, 62, repairman, was nearby driving to work when he noticed smoke and flames coming from the house. Stickovich, seeing no fire trucks, approached the scene. Outside, he found Opal’s mother, who had safely exited with Opal’s twin sister, who indicated that Opal was still inside. Stickovich ran to a side door, kicked it in, and entered the home, but thick smoke forced him to exit. Back outside, Stickovich ran to the rear of the house, where he ascended steps leading to an attached deck with access to a back door. At the rear of the house, Stickovich encountered smoke pouring from the open door. Stickovich moved to his hands and knees before lying flat as he entered the house. Inside, Stickovich crawled through the kitchen to the archway at the dining room, where he searched for Opal but was unable to locate her. He crawled out of the house and ran back to the mother to ask for Opal’s exact location. The mother indicated that Opal was near a baby gate by the archway. Stickovich then rushed back to the kitchen door, returned to his hands and knees then his stomach, and crawled to the archway. Once there, he waved his hand out and continued searching for Opal, but again was unsuccessful, though by now he also saw flames flickering through the thick smoke as the heat became oppressive and conditions were deteriorating. Stickovich turned to exit the house when he heard Opal cry. Using his legs, he launched himself in the direction of the sound and his left arm came down on Opal’s leg. He then grasped Opal, cradled her, and stood up intending to run out of the house before the smoke forced him to return to his knees, at which point he crawled back through the kitchen to the hallway with Opal in his grasp. Once he saw daylight from the rear door through the smoke, he stood up and carried Opal out of the house, where he delivered her to emergency personnel outside. Opal inhaled smoke and suffered minor burns including to her face and a second-degree burn to her scalp. She continued to recover. Stickovich inhaled smoke, was treated at a hospital, and recovered.