DNYUZ
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Television
    • Theater
    • Gaming
    • Sports
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
DNYUZ
No Result
View All Result
Home News Crime

Firefighter and FBI agent risked their lives to save embryos in Palm Springs IVF clinic bombing: ‘They’re heroes’

May 19, 2025
in Crime, News
Firefighter and FBI agent risked their lives to save embryos in Palm Springs IVF clinic bombing: ‘They’re heroes’
496
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A firefighter and an FBI agent rushed into the collapsing Palm Springs fertility clinic to save medical records and embryos after a maniac detonated a car bomb outside the facility Saturday, killing himself and wounding four others.

The bombed-out American Reproductive Centers building had not been stabilized and appeared to be on the brink of collapse when the pair of heroes climbed over the rubble to make sure the embryo cooling systems were still active, according to Palm Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills.

“They go into a building that was collapsed…It wasn’t safe, but they went inside,” Mills told The Post.

The ruins of an American Reproductive Centers building after a car bomb attack in Palm Springs, CA.
The ruins of an American Reproductive Centers building after a car bomb attack in Palm Springs, CA. Carl Schreier
The blast at American Reproductive Centers (pictured) shattered windows three blocks away and was felt in the next town.
The blast at American Reproductive Centers shattered windows three blocks away and was felt in the next town. via REUTERS

Palm Springs Deputy Fire Chief Greg Lyle and FBI Special Agent Chris Melzer ventured into what had been reduced to a blackened shell — as the clinic’s remaining walls ominously buckled under their own weight — after Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, detonated a car laden with explosives.

“They’re heroes,” Mills said. “It’s because of them expecting mothers didn’t lose their dream of starting a family.”

Officers investigate a destroyed vehicle after the car bomb attack.
Officers investigate a destroyed vehicle after the car bomb attack. AP

The blast was so huge that one local reported feeling the reverberations seven miles away.“I thought it was a mini-earthquake. Things were just vibrating,” Addam Westfall, who was at his home in the town of Cathedral, said.

Miraculously, the blast did not destroy the embryos stored inside the American Reproductive Centers clinic, but even a momentary disruption of the refrigeration system could have destroyed them, Mills said. 

Likewise, the destruction of clinic records in a collapse or fire could have dashed the hopes of parents who had spent months and tens of thousands of dollars trying to have a baby.Lyle and Melzer were able to retrieve the records without any loss.

Guy Edward Bartkus, the alleged suicide bomber.
Guy Edward Bartkus, the alleged suicide bomber, was killed in the explosion. Obtained by NY Post
Firefighters secure the wreckage of the American Reproductive Centers clinic.
Firefighters secure the wreckage of the American Reproductive Centers clinic. Alexander Hendrix

The explosion ripped through two other structures and shattered windows of buildings three blocks away.Authorities have not determined how Bartkis, who is former military, constructed the bomb, but they believe he acted alone and that the clinic was simply the nearest “target of convenience,” according to Mills.Bartkus allegedly held pro-death or “pro-mortalist” beliefs and condemned bringing people into the world without their consent – apparently to spare them from future suffering.“Understand your death is already a guarantee … All a promortalist is saying is let’s make it happen sooner rather than later … to prevent your future suffering,” Bartkus allegedly wrote on a web page published before the attack.Authorities have not yet verified the authenticity of that web page.

American Reproductive Centers (pictured) stores embryos and eggs.
American Reproductive Centers stores embryos and eggs. via REUTERS
Investigators look at possible evidence near the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic following a bomb blast.
Investigators look at possible evidence near the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic following a bomb blast. Getty Images

On Saturday, FBI agents swarmed his home and evacuated the neighborhood in the town of Twentynine Palms, declaring it a “blast zone” over concerns that he could have left explosives behind, ABC7 reported.

The next day, tactical teams, armored vehicles and bomb squad units in full gear were still milling around Bartkus’ modest house in the small desert town, The Post observed.Likewise, an FBI mobile command center had been set up outside American Reproductive Centers.Police found two rifles — an AK-47 and an AR-style rifle — along with ammunition next to the exploded vehicle, according to an internal briefing obtained by the LA Times.

The post Firefighter and FBI agent risked their lives to save embryos in Palm Springs IVF clinic bombing: ‘They’re heroes’ appeared first on New York Post.

Tags: bombingsCaliforniaCrimeTerrorismterrorists
Share198Tweet124Share
Hidden in the hills: photos of French peacekeepers uncovering Hezbollah’s remnants in Lebanon
News

Hidden in the hills: photos of French peacekeepers uncovering Hezbollah’s remnants in Lebanon

by Associated Press
August 21, 2025

SULUKI VALLEY, Lebanon (AP) — A convoy of armored vehicles carrying French peacekeepers barrels through southern Lebanon. Last year’s war ...

Read more
News

Tired of waiting for Tesla’s ‘more affordable’ car? Check out Nissan’s new sub-$30K EV.

August 21, 2025
News

Neglected Dog With Matted Fur Surrendered— Wearing ‘$300 Tiffany Collar’

August 21, 2025
Health

Why We Often Blame Violent Acts on Mental Illness

August 21, 2025
News

Mother hid from home invader in closet with her baby — then shot thug in the head, police say

August 21, 2025
Why the overwhelmed American family need its own software

Why the overwhelmed American family need its own software

August 21, 2025
The Joseph McCarthy of the Trump Era

The Joseph McCarthy of the Trump Era

August 21, 2025
Trump’s Immigration System Puts Kids at Risk

Trump’s Immigration System Puts Kids at Risk

August 21, 2025

Copyright © 2025.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Sports
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel

Copyright © 2025.