City Council, Mayor Nicholson honor Brown, Thomas for their heroic actions during Orchard Street fire
By Cary Shuman
The Lynn City Council and Mayor Jared Nicholson honored Jay Brown and Cherice Thomas for their acts of heroism during a Dec. 9 fire at a home at 18 Orchard Street.
Cherice Thomas in recognition of their heroic actions during the Dec. 9 fire at a home on Orchard Street.
Ward 6 Councilor Fred Hogan and Mayor Nicholson each presented individual citations to Thomas and Brown at a meeting Tuesday night in the Council Chambers.
“There was a fire and what happened was truly amazing, especially around the holiday – Lynn people step up for other people, and that’s what being part of the city and this community is all about,” lauded Hogan.
The Council recognized Ms. Thomas for “your act of courage and bravery to ensure the safety of occupants of a home on Orchard Street that was engulfed by flames.”
Hogan commended Thomas, 48, who “immediately got her building cleared and then went to yell and get people out of the house next door and prevent some people from going back in to save their pets (and belongings).”
The Council recognized Mr. Brown “for your extraordinary act of courage, bravery, and selflessness in risking your own life to ensure the safety of the occupants of a home on Orchard Street that was engulfed in flames.”
Hogan said that Brown, 46, a maintenance mechanic at General Electric, was leaving work that day, “and looks and sees the smoke, drives all the way down Orchard Street, sees that the house is engulfed, runs to the back of the house, runs to the front and he kicked in the door and yelled to the people. During Christmastime for people like Jay and Cherice to step up and save lives, it’s just truly amazing. These are two people that I grew up with in that neighborhood.”
Hogan also thanked the Lynn Fire Department for their swift response to the incident and their professional operations in extinguishing the blaze quickly.
Mayor Nicholson said, “It is such an honor for me to be able to thank Jay and Cherice on behalf of the City of Lynn for their heroism, for their thinking, for their action in time of incredible danger and risk to care for their neighborhoods and for their fellow humans. As always, we say thank you to our first responders in the Fire Department. When citizens like this go above and beyond, it is a wonderful opportunity to thank them and also to share their example, because I think it’s really an inspiring one. You really made a difference, and we thank you for it.”
Following the impressive ceremony, Thomas and Brown were asked about receiving such important awards from the Council and the Mayor and being recognized as “a hero.”
“It feels good to be thought of as a hero but I didn’t think about it that way,” said Thomas, the daughter of the late Roy Thomas and Joanne Thomas. “My instincts kind of kicked in and I went over there to help as much as I could, and I’m just happy that everyone got out of the house. I’m glad that we did see it and we were able to call 9-1-1 and get a response right away because other than that, I don’t know what would have had happened.”
Stacey Bryant-Brown attended the recognition ceremony for her cousin, Cherice Thomas.
“I’m so proud of my cousin,” said Bryant-Brown. “I’m so glad God put her in in the right place at the right time and nobody got hurt. I thank God for that, and what a Christmas present that everybody made it out alive.”
Jay Brown said it felt “amazing” to be recognized by city government for his heroic actions.
“I was just acting in the spur of the moment,” said Brown. “I wasn’t expecting anything. I just jumped into action when I saw the situation going on. And where there were no first responders there, I felt something needed to be done, so I stepped up and did what I had to do. It was a honor to get a phone call from Councilor Hogan [about the citation], and it was a true honor to help somebody in need.”
Attorney-at-Law Nicole Bluefort Brown, Mr. Brown’s wife, said she was “very, very proud” of her husband’s efforts.
“I’m excited to see the city recognizing Jay,” said Nicole. “Often times, people will do the right thing and maybe call the police or the fire department, but he went a step and beyond and did something very courageous, very brave, and he risked his own life to save others, and I’m just very proud of my husband.”
Joseph Santa, maintenance manager at GE, praised his colleague, Jay Brown.
“Jay’s always dependable. He’s always a standup guy. He’s always going above and beyond everything that he can do. He’s an exemplary employee. The people look up to him. He’s a go-to guy around our shop area, and he definitely embodies the spirit of everything we want out of a GE employee.”