CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland teenager who rescued a mother and two of her children from the roof of a burning home last week received recognition for his heroism in front of a crowd of thousands of Cavs fans.
Tyler Sowden, 16, received a standing ovation at Sunday’s Cavaliers game as he was recognized for his selflessness and bravery.
Sowden, a 10th grader, told 19 News he didn’t think about his own safety that day; he just knew that someone needed help.
“I was in my house I heard screaming and I seen a kid on top of the roof — the house was on fire. So I took a ladder, ran over, put the ladder up — grabbed the kids and helped the mom down the ladder,” said Sowden.
Caught on camera, you can see a woman on the roof of the burning home hand her 10-month-old baby to Sowden as flames and thick black smoke poured out of the home. The teenager also rescued a 7-year-old and helped the mother of the children as she made her way down the ladder. Another child was able to escape from the back of the home on Sacramento Avenue near West 139th.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell heard about the amazing rescue and, along with his foundation SpidaCares, personally invited the teen and his family to enjoy a Cavs game and a standing ovation.
As Sowden was escorted to stand center court, he was introduced and praised for his heroic actions. Sowden attended the game with his mother and wore a #45 jersey gifted to him by the NBA shooting guard.
“I definitely just want to highlight the heroes of the community, and that man himself. Just watching the video, I’m like man to be able to be on the fly, to not think about yourself, and just go out there and really not do it for any cameras — literally just trying to save lives,” Mitchell said.
Sowden’s mother told 19 News her son was excited, overwhelmed, and honored to receive such high praise in front of thousands of people at Rocket Arena.
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