This Norristown Marine veteran rescued a man from a burning home: ‘His whole body was on fire.’
"He is just such a great person," said Norristown's fire chief, who has known Johnson more than 20 years. "The World needs more Mr. Johnsons."
James “Cowboy” Johnson was running errands in his Norristown neighborhood on March 15 when he was stopped in his tracks on Swede Street, where he lives.
“I saw smoke up the street, but it looked a little different,” said Johnson. As he watched in alarm, “the smoke got heavy and darker.” He quickly realized that it was emanating from a three-story duplex home, which has an apartment on the first floor and another on the second and third floors.
Johnson, 70, a four-year Marine veteran, credits his military instincts for what sent him dashing toward the blazing building.
“I started banging on the door” but got no response, he said. By then, two young men had arrived and together the three of them kicked in the front door, where they saw smoke pouring from around the door of the second-floor apartment. Johnson bolted up the stairs with one of the men and they kicked in that door, too.
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Inside, they found a man lying on the floor.
“He couldn’t walk — we had to pick him up, and he was no light dude,” said Johnson, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 228 pounds. “His whole body was on fire, and was burning pretty badly.”
Johnson hefted the victim down the stairs, trying his best not to stumble on its 14 risers.
By the time they pulled the man out of the house, 30 to 35 firefighters and a dozen trucks had arrived from five local fire companies — Norristown, Bridgeport, East Norriton, Plymouth, and Upper Merion, said Norristown’s fire chief, Tom O’Donnell.
”There were flames coming out of every window,” O’Donnell said. “We had heavy fire and smoke showing from the second floor, and heavy smoke from the third floor. The fire was growing in size and intensity.”
It took about 20 minutes to get the fire under control, he said, and Plymouth paramedics were able to stabilize the victim, who was then flown to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia.
As for the rescue by quick-acting passersby, O’Donnell couldn’t say enough about Johnson’s courage (the two young men who helped — Johnson did not get their names — left shortly after the rescue, he said).
“That guy is here because of Mr. Johnson, the paramedics, and doctors and nurses,” O’Donnell said. Still, he cautioned, “Fire departments don’t encourage anybody to go into immediate danger without wearing the proper equipment, without having the proper training.”
Johnson— who was examined by paramedics at the scene — doubts he’d behave differently if a similar situation were to arise again.
“Every day is a gift that you get up and see daylight,” said the retired truck driver, who’s known by an affectionate adolescent nickname, “Cowboy,” to longtime friends and who now works part-time as a handyman. He and his wife, Valerie, will be married 49 years in July and have two grown children. “I didn’t want to see a life taken away.”
The victim’s family has been in contact with Johnson, expressing their appreciation for his heroic deed. They asked that the victim not be identified. A family member declined to give any information about the man or his condition to The Inquirer.
As for Johnson, he was just honored with a citizen-heroism commendation from the Norristown Municipal Council.
“He is just a great person,” said O’Donnell, the fire chief. He has known Johnson for over 20 years and wasn’t the least bit surprised by his selflessness. “The world needs more Mr. Johnsons.”