Cavaliers honoring teen hero who saved Cleveland family from burning home
CLEVELAND (WJW) – Video of Friday's rescue of a Cleveland family from their burning home by a 16-year-old boy has gone viral, and young Tyler Sowden is now being hailed far and wide as a hometown hero.
The teen is very modest and unassuming, so all of the attention is a little overwhelming.
The dramatic video showed Sowden carrying a ladder that he grabbed from his garage and running to a burning home in Cleveland's West Park neighborhood.
Sowden climbed up and down the ladder to help rescue members of the family, two small children and their mother.
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The video has inspired Northeast Ohioans and touched the hearts of people all over the country.
'I'm glad I could help. I was glad that I was there because it could have really gone wrong,' Sowden said.
Many people are amazed by the way Sowden, a 10th grader at Old Brook High School in Old Brooklyn, climbed up and down the ladder so decisively before the house became fully engulfed in flames.
It turns out he does construction work with his stepfather and he feels he was in that place, at that time, for a reason.
'I do a lot of work like that. I actually manned a ladder that morning and then I ended up going home,' he said.
Sowden said he did not realize the impact of his actions until members of the family he saved asked to meet him. While there was a language barrier, he said their emotions spoke volumes.
A 12-year-old boy, who jumped from a second-story window in the rear of the house, served as an interpreter and conveyed the family's gratitude.
'He was telling me how proud he was and how happy he was and the dad, I hugged him a couple of times and he gave a really heart-touching hug. It felt some type of way, I almost teared up,' said Sowden.
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The city of Cleveland is now planning a ceremony is honor him for his quick thinking and heroic actions.
The rescue video also caught the attention of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who spoke for many Northeast Ohioans on Tuesday.
'When you see something like that, you know, there's two different things. It's kind of you're there, you panic or you leave, or you kind of go out there and find a way to help and for it to be a 16-year-old kid to go out there and find a way to do the job of a firefighter until they actually showed up, that takes a lot of guts,' the NBA All-Star said. 'It takes a lot of heart. That takes a lot of self-respect and that's ultimately what being in the community is about, helping the next person that you see.'
Sowden said the nod of approval from the Cavs star is a surreal experience for a 16-year-old.
'That's wild, that's crazy. It makes me feel good, it makes me feel proud of myself,' he said.
The Cavs are now planning to honor Sowden before their home game on Sunday, and he will get a chance to meet some of his favorite players, including Mitchell.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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