Mahwah girl leaps from flaming condo into police officer’s arms

A Mahwah girl took a leap of faith from her third floor condo unit into the arms of a police officer during a fire on Tuesday afternoon.

As flames broke out at a three-story condo unit on Ridge Road, fire fighters were able to evacuate residents except for 9-year-old Sofya Doroshenko, who went out onto the balcony according to the Mahwah Fire Department. As the flames got close to her, Mahwah police officers Tom Solimano, Lt. Jeffrey Dino and Sgt. Brendan Mullin were able to quickly talk Doroshenko into jumping off the balcony and safely into their arms.

Her mother, Yulyia Doroshenko, told NorthJersey.com that her daughter initially tried to escape the fire by a stairwell but was met with heavy smoke. She said Sofya was "very brave" but was also "in stress" following her ordeal.

Lt. Dino had nothing but praise for Sofya. “That kid was calm and in control. That’s the bravest little kid I’ve ever seen. I thought we were going to have a hard time convincing her. She put a lot of faith in us," he told the newspaper.

Sofya told ABC 7, "I didn't know what to do and I just listened to them. I just jumped because it was no chance."

All 5 Mahwah fire companies plus crews from surrounding towns worked to put out the fire