Caught On Video: Elderly Man Leaps Out Of Window To Escape Bronx Apartment Fire

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A dramatic rescue took place in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx when an elderly man was saved from a fall.

Ronnie Poe, 72, just finished cooking chicken and turkey wings in his second floor apartment. Just as he started to dig into his plate, the unthinkable happened, and a fire had him trapped in his apartment.

His only option was to make a daring leap out the window. It was all caught on video.

"Next thing I know, I heard something say 'bam!'" Poe said. "I said, 'What the hell is that?' So I go back in the kitchen and see a big flame of smoke."

With no way out, the retired NYU security guard leaped out the window, to the arms of neighbors and strangers waiting to catch him.

"When I landed on my heel, people caught me from falling back and hitting my head, that's what helped me out," Poe said.

Alaam Thomas was waiting below with his arms wide open for his friend.

"Meant a lot because I've know him for many years," Thomas said. "But it feels good. Anytime you can help somebody save somebody's life, it's naturally going to feel good."

Poe did not suffer any broken bones and is currently staying at a hotel.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.