Cory Booker Fire Rescue: Mayor Addresses Heroics At Press Conference (VIDEO)

Cory Booker Fire Rescue: Mayor Addresses Heroics At Press Conference

Newark Mayor Cory Booker is out of the hospital and in good spirits after rescuing his neighbor from a burning building. "I feel blessed that she and I got out of the building alive," he told reporters outside the charred home of his neighbor.

Booker, with a bandaged hand, said that he didn't feel very heroic. "I'm a neighbor and did what most neighbors would do, which is jump into action to help a friend," the mayor explained.

The mayor was coming back from an interview when he saw his neighbor's house in flames. According to the Associated Press:

The mayor's security detail tried to drag him away, but Booker told them that the woman was going to die, Detective Alex Rodriguez told CBS. "Without thinking twice, he ran into the flames and rescued this young lady," Rodriguez said.

As he entered the house, the mayor explained, he felt the heat and the smoke hit his lungs, and he thought, "if I dont find this woman in a few minutes, we're both going to die."

"It's a very, very scary situation,' he continued. "Once I was in, that was a moment that I had a conversation with God that I've never had before."

"Thankfully she started yelling out to me and I was able to find her through all the smoke," he told CBS. "At that point I grabbed her."

A reporter asked mayor Booker what he thought about the fact people were calling him a superhero. "I think that's way over the top. First of all there are people that do this every day." He credited the detective assigned to him, Detective Rodriguez, for his help in getting the woman out, and they the detectives deserved the hero's welcome. "Those are the real heroes." The mayor also added that he felt like hugging everybody today. "I feel very grateful right now, very lucky to be here with you."

After the rescue he tweeted to his followers that he was alright: "Thanks 2 all who are concerned. Just suffering smoke inhalation," Booker tweeted. "We got the woman out of the house. We are both off to hospital. I will b ok."

Of course the mayor also made sure to credit the city he governs. 'This is a city that has that ethos -- people looking out for each other.'

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