The woman who jumped from a burning building during last summer’s riots today revealed her gratitude to the policeman who saved her life — and said that she wanted to meet him to say thank you.
In what became the most famous image of the riots, Monika Konczyk was photographed leaping from her blazing first-floor flat in Croydon.
Speaking for the first time about that night last August, Ms Konczyk, 33, from Poland said she treats every day as a gift but gets anxious when hearing fire engines.
“When I look at the picture, I can’t believe it is really me, that it happened like that,” she said. “I want my life to be back to normal but I get nervous sometimes. I used to sleep well, but I haven’t since.”
Her return to the scene on Friday brought painful memories but reminded her of the man who caught her, whose face she has yet to see.
“There was a group of policemen. They were shouting ‘jump, jump’ and I looked at the one policeman with his arms stretched out, so I just did it,” she said.
“I didn’t close my eyes, I just looked at the policeman. I couldn’t see his face because he was wearing his riot gear but I stared right at him and just launched myself towards him. I wasn’t thinking about broken bones, I was thinking only of my life. If I wanted to live I knew that I had to jump. And I so wanted my life.
“I don’t even remember how it felt to fall, it went so quickly. The next thing I knew he was saying ‘Are you all right, are you all right?’ Then he told me to get away because the fire was raging.
“I didn’t like going back there. Just looking at the building, it sends a chill down my spine. It really did bring back some awful, awful memories. But I would like to meet the man who caught me. I never even saw his face and I never thanked him properly. I know people say I was a hero, but the police that night were the real heroes.”
Read More
The shop assistant, whose 11-year-old son lives in Poland with her parents, was alone on August 8 when a fire at the Reeves furniture store spread to her building. Her escape cut off, she rang her sister, Beata, who rushed to the scene to tell police. They said her only option was to jump.
As the anniversary approaches, Ms Konczyk fears it could happen again but is determined to move on.
She says: “Every day I live now is like a gift. I feel I have been given a second chance at life and I want to make the most of every day.”
