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Forget a suit. Newark Mayor Cory Booker should wear tights and a cape to work.

The politician is in the news today because he rescued a neighbor from her burning house last night, entering the residence against the advice of his security team, carrying the young woman through flames and suffering second-degree burns in the process.

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“I actually wasn’t thinking,” Booker said on CBS This Morning, detailing how he jumped through the kitchen window and: “When I got there and couldn’t find her in all the smoke, looked behind me and saw the kitchen really erupting with flames all over the ceiling, that’s when I had very clear thoughts that I’m not going to get out of this place alive and got… very religious.

“It is a very, very scary thing. And I’d like to say that I, at that point I was feeling so courageous, but honestly, it was terrifying, and to look back, you can see nothing but flames. Look in front of you see nothing but blackness.”

 
Booker eventually tracked down the lady because she started yelling, he explained, and proceeded to head back out the burning kitchen, where he handed her off to Newark Police Detective Alex Rodriguez.

“I feel very blessed,” Booker said. “As the fire director told us, anything could have happened… Yesterday, all my problems were really big to me. Today things feel a lot more clear. And I have a lot more respect for firefighters!”

Booker suffered the aforementioned burns, along with smoke inhalation. The woman also suffered second-degree burns on her back – but she is alive to talk about it, thanks to her mayor.