LUCAS SILVERIO DESERVES TO BE AWARDED THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR THE HEROISM THAT COST HIM HIS LIFE

'Hero' teen dies after he tried to save 3-year-old girl from Bronx apartment fire

By Ryan W. Miller

USA Today
June 13, 2019

A teen from the Bronx who died Wednesday is being remembered as a hero for his efforts to try to save a 3-year-old girl from a burning apartment building, local media reported.

After a fire broke out early Sunday, Lucas Silverio, 19, ran back into the 16-story building in an effort to find Yasleen McDonald, 3, who was on the 14th floor, the teen's family told the New York Post.

Silverio died Wednesday of his injuries, and Yasleen died Monday. Both suffered burns on over 80% of their bodies and were rushed to local hospitals, the New York Daily News reported.

"My heart is heavy for both my daughter and the kid who saved her," Yasleen’s mother, Jasmine Moreno, told the Daily News. "He's a hero."

The Post reports that the fire broke out on the 14th floor in a trash compactor but that fire officials aren't sure what exactly sparked the blaze. It took firefighters more than an hour to get it under control.

According to the Daily News, Silverio heard cries after Yasleen and her mother became separated in dense smoke, which prompted him to turn back. He had already been helping his grandmother exit the building.

"I was shocked that a 19-year-old would go into the fire," Yasleen’s great uncle Willie Colon, 52, told the Daily News. "That guy is going to be in my heart forever."

Funerals for both are planned for later this week. Silverio was studying to become a physical therapist, the newspaper reported.

Yasleen was remembered as a "joyous, happy, bubbling little 3-year-old" by her neighbor.

“For her short life, she touched many hearts. She is truly going to be missed by this community," neighbor Bridget Stewart told the Daily News.