William Stanley Thomas saved Jacqueline Rodriguez from burning, Camden, New Jersey, June 27, 1994. Jacqueline, 1, was in a second-floor bedroom of a two-story row house when an electrical fire broke out in the room and filled it with dense smoke. Her mother attempted to rescue her but was repulsed by the smoke, as were two police officers who entered the house in a rescue attempt. While walking in the neighborhood, Thomas, 45, came upon the scene, and he too entered the residence. He went upstairs and, through dense smoke which severely hampered visibility, crawled into the burning bedroom. He found Jacqueline, put his shirt over her, then ran downstairs and outside with her. Jacqueline was hospitalized overnight for treatment of smoke inhalation, and she recovered. Thomas recovered from a minor cut on his arm.
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