Community Hero Rescues Victims from Fire Amid Criticism of Emergency Response

Bystander Sean Jobity Says He Took First Initiative in Prince Street Fire Rescue

Bystander Sean Jobity is strongly denying reports that T&TEC or fire officers were responsible for rescuing a baby and several others during the fire at Prince and Charlotte Streets, insisting that he was the person who took the first initiative when others failed to move quickly enough.

In an emotional and angry statement, Jobity said reports crediting officials and utility workers with the rescue were false and unfair to what he says actually happened on the ground.

According to Jobity, when he arrived at the scene, people were trapped on top of the burning building, including a mother and child. He claimed firefighters and T&TEC personnel were already present, but no one had yet gone up to bring the stranded persons down.

Jobity said he repeatedly begged for a ladder.

“Give me the ladder, give me the ladder,” he recalled shouting, saying that people on the roof were crying for help while others below watched in frustration.

He alleged that he first approached T&TEC personnel and asked them to use the ladder or man lift to reach those trapped above. According to him, he was told the man lift could only be used for T&TEC pole-related work and that permission from senior officials was needed before a ladder could be used.

Jobity said he then asked firefighters for assistance but was told the ladder belonged to T&TEC. With time running out and people still trapped above the fire, he said he decided to act on his own.

He claimed he climbed up the burglar proof near the building, reached the top, and continued shouting for the ladder until it was eventually handed up to him.

Jobity said he pulled the ladder up himself and used it as a bridge between one building and the next to help trapped persons escape. He said no fire officer or T&TEC worker climbed up with him at that point.

According to Jobity, one civilian later came up and asked how he could assist, while another man helped receive a baby and bring the child down safely. Jobity said he remained focused on getting the remaining persons across and out of danger.

He maintains that seven people were rescued through the effort he initiated.

Jobity also pushed back against a post by Live Zone, which he accused of spreading false information by crediting people who, according to him, were not on the roof and did not carry out the rescue.

“Get the facts,” he said repeatedly, insisting that witnesses, vendors, nearby businesses, casino patrons and camera footage from the area could confirm his version of events.

The dispute has now widened public debate over what unfolded during the fire. Some social media users have also claimed they saw Jobity taking people down from the building, while others say T&TEC personnel assisted with equipment such as the bucket lift and ladder.

However, Jobity’s position is clear: he is not denying that others were present or that equipment was eventually used. He is saying that when lives were in immediate danger, he was the bystander who moved first.

The incident has sparked fresh questions about emergency response, decision-making, and whether strict procedures delayed action during a life-threatening situation.

At the time of publication, the official accounts from the Fire Service, T&TEC and police have not fully addressed Jobity’s specific claims about the timeline of the rescue.

For now, the public conversation remains focused on one central question: when people were trapped above a burning building, who took the first real step to save them?

According to Sean Jobity, the answer is simple.

He did.

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