ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — Joseph and Benjamin Toms were visiting their father's home when a massive explosion collapsed their neighbor's house. The brothers rushed over without hesitation, pulling the victims from the debris before first responders arrived.
Benjamin Toms said he and his brother felt the blast before they even knew what had happened.
"We just all of a sudden felt this like, huge shake and a huge boom, and the whole house rattled, and we all were kind of like, what the hell was that," Benjamin said.
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The brothers ran outside and saw their neighbors' house had collapsed from an explosion. Joseph Toms, a Navy corpsman, said he immediately spotted a survivor and sprang into action.
"I ran. I saw feet. I yelled at him, and I'm in the Navy; this is stuff I am trained to do as a Navy corpsman. He is a teacher, so he didn't hesitate, and I am so proud of him, and other people were hesitant to come in. I yelled, 'We have a light pulse,' we saw her feet. We both grabbed part of the roof and lifted it up. We started to try to get her out, and then finally two other neighbors rushed in, and they helped us lift it up, get her out, and that's when the first responders came in," Joseph said.
Fire officials made multiple attempts to save 76-year-old Linda Synowcynski's life, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
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After pulling Linda from the rubble, the brothers shifted their focus to finding her husband, Stan Synowcynski.
"As soon as the police officers showed up, they started CPR on Mrs. Linda. We were able to shift focus. Myself, Ben, and another neighbor, we jumped in the rubble. We started looking for Stan; we were calling out for him. It took a few minutes, but we finally heard after like three or four minutes; he must have come to, his voice," Joseph said.
Fire officials were able to get Stan out of the rubble. He was airlifted to Bayview Burn Center and remains in critical condition.
Benjamin said that even in shock, he knew helping was the right thing to do.
"If my family were ever in a situation like that, I would hope neighbors would do the same thing," Benjamin said.
The brothers said they were only in town for Benjamin's wedding this weekend, but they are grateful they were at their father's house when the explosion happened so they could help.
Portions of Green Holly Drive remain closed as the investigation into the explosion remains ongoing.
Authorities say there is no threat to the community and the scene is expected to remain active.
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