Family of 7 flees burning home • Stellantis offers buyouts • Former Red Wing inducted in Hall of Fame

TUESDAY NEWS HIT - One by one, a family of seven evacuated a burning house in Detroit out of a second-story window. The next door neighbor, Shantaesha Young, works overnight and was getting ready for bed around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday when she heard a loud noise. 

As she looked outside, Young said it was her neighbors' window AC unit hitting the ground, after being pushed out by them to escape the fire.

"They were coughing and everything. Kids are on the ground, crying and bleeding," she said.

Young then saw the mother dangling her infant daughter by her ankle from the second floor window.

"She was so scared and terrified –I was too– she was just asking, making sure I was able to catch the baby," Young continued. 

Running out of options and acting on sheer adrenaline, Young stood under the window and caught the child. The mother and father soon followed, jumping from the second floor to safety.

"Dad was limping, mom was bleeding from a couple of different places, the baby was not crying – she was breathing and moving (but) was not making a sound," Young said.

The parents and the five kids, all about 10 years-old or younger, are safe. Those who suffered injuries were treated. On Sunday, when the father came back, Young was given an update.

"He said the two-month old did have a few broken bones, but that everyone is expected to recover fine," Young said. "They're going to need assistance so close to the holidays – all those kids."

A fundraising effort is being created to help the family. FOX 2 will add the link to the story once it is available.

The Detroit Fire Department has not yet determined the exact cause or origin of the house fire. 

Stellantis offers buyouts to 6,400 workers

Stellantis is offering buyout packages to thousands of its non-union workers. The company said Monday it was offering buy-outs to 6,400 non-bargaining U.S. employees, which is about half of the company's total work population. The "necessary structural actions" the company said it was taking was to protect its operations. 

"As we prepare for the transition to electric vehicles, Stellantis announced today that it will offer a voluntary separation package to assist those non-represented employees who would like to separate or retire from the Company to pursue other interests with a favorable package of benefits," said Stellantis in a statement.

It also mentioned it planned on launching eight new electric vehicles as part of its Dare Forward 2030 strategy. Stellantis recently had workers return to the assembly lines after a UAW-wide strike inflicted billions of dollars on the industry. Stellantis was the second automaker to reach a tentative agreement with the union. 

The negotiations also included a monumental investment into U.S. operations by the company to the tune of $19 billion. 

Mike Vernon inducted in NHL HoF

A name that many Detroit Red Wings fans will remember well just crossed the news cycle again this week. 

Former netminder Mike Vernon, who played with the Wings during their historic rise in the 90s and also threw a few punches during Detroit's brawl with the Colorado Avalanche in 1997, was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame Tuesday.

Vernon was a part of the Wings team that reached its first Stanley Cup Finals in nearly 40 years before being swept by the New Jersey Devils in 1995. 

He later became the back-up goalie to Chris Osgood when the team returned to the Stanley Cup during the team's 1996-97 season. At one point during the playoffs, he became the team's starter after Osgood struggled during the regular season. He later earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.

Amira the dog recovering after acid burns, leg amputation

A puppy named Amira is recovering from acid burns that resulted in a leg amputation. She is believed to be a 12-week-old Doxen/Terrier mix. "Her limbs, her underbelly, her sides – she had only muscle exposed," said Dr. Lucretia Greear with Woodhaven Animal Hospital. "Bones, tendons, ligaments, all those structures – if they weren’t completely disintegrated, they were exposed."

Amira was burned by her previous owner and then surrendered to the Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society in August. Parts of her nose, ear, and tail were gone; she needed hyperbaric treatment and major skin grafts. However, Greear's team at the Woodhaven Animal Hospital made Amira's recovery possible. 

"She had surgery this past Tuesday with the leg amputation. She did have osteomyelitis, which is a bone infection," Greear said. "We tried very hard to save the leg, but it was causing her a great deal of pain."

Her medical expenses have totaled around $17,700. The Woodhaven mayor has been a tireless advocate for Amira since she runs the local animal resource funding center.

Taylor man found guilty in neighbor's killing

A Taylor man has been found guilty of multiple charges including second-degree murder after a dispute with his neighbor turned deadly. Eddie Arnold Hicks, 73, was also found guilty by jury trial of manslaughter and two counts of felony firearm. The incident stems from a fight in 2021 with a 46-year-old man.

The suspect's family originally reported Hicks was attacked by the victim after getting into a fight with them over firewood. They said Hicks had retrieved a firearm and shot the other man after being attacked, claiming it was in self-defense. 

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said the two had gotten into a fight before Hicks shot the victim, rejecting claims the shooting was in self-defense. The incident happened in the 6400 block of Cornell Street in Taylor. Police arrived around 5:20 p.m.

A jury found Hicks guilty on Nov. 9. A review hearing is scheduled for Nov. 17. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

The weather isn't getting any worse Tuesday with another round of sunshine and temperatures in the 50s. However, conditions will be less windy.

What else we're watching

1. The hearing over a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten's suspension of Jim Harbaugh is scheduled for Friday morning. See the details of the novel case here.
2. What might be the worst time to leave for Thanksgiving vacation? AAA estimates with more than 1.7 million Michigan residents traveling for the holidays, Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning of next week will be the busiest driving time.
3. A coming vote over how the city bids out contracts to out-of-city businesses at the Detroit City Council is spurring lobbying efforts from the Metro-Detroit Black Business Alliance. They're calling a press conference Tuesday on the vote.
4. Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit's former mayor, has a new job. The Detroit Free Press reports he has taken over a nonprofit in Memphis, Tennessee that works on justice reform.
5. Discontent over Israel's invasion of Gaza is growing with more Jewish leaders calling for a ceasefire.

Nearly 24 toddlers sickened by lead contamination linked to applesauce pouches, CDC says

U.S. health officials are warning doctors to be on the lookout for possible cases of lead poisoning in children after at least 22 toddlers in 14 states were sickened by lead linked to tainted pouches of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce.

Children ages 1 to 3 were affected, and at least one child showed a blood lead level eight times higher than the level that raises concern, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

There’s no safe level of lead exposure, but the CDC uses a marker of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter to identify children with higher levels than most. The affected children's blood lead levels ranged from 4 to 29 micrograms per deciliter.