Man Honored for Rescuing Child from Washer

A Camden man is called a hero by the city's mayor for acting fast and saving a child locked in a washing machine.

A laundromat employee who rushed to help a child stuck in a washing machine in Camden was honored Friday for his quick thinking and actions.

Kong Enh received a certificate of appreciation from Camden mayor Dana Redd.

Enh raced to stop the washing machine by turning off the circuit breaker at Federal Laundromat at 23rd and Federal Streets on May 11. He then made sure that 1-year-old Saimeir David was safe.

The child's frightening ordeal began with a game of "peek-a-boo" with his babysitter's male friend. The man put the child in the washer and closed the door. Once the door is closed it locks and the washing cycle starts.

The babysitter and her friend frantically pulled on the door for a few seconds as the child continued to spin, then ran to get help.

The incident was caught by a surveillance camera and millions of people viewed the video on YouTube.

Mayor Redd called Enh a hero for quickly moving tables to get to the circuit breaker and rescue Saimeir.

Workers called police when the incident happened. The woman and the man in the video were not present when police arrived however because they had taken Saimeir to the hospital to make sure he was alright.

Investigators initially believed the man who placed Saimeir into the machine was the boy's father. The boy's mother Sakia David told NBC10 that was not the case however. According to Sakia, the woman in the video was the girlfriend of Saimeir's father who was babysitting the child at the time. Sakia says she doesn't know who the man in the video is.

No charges have been filed in the case.

Contact Us