Marvin Goldstein (MG) and Eric Goldstein (EG)

MG: The windows at that time did not have window guards. I leaned out, and I had one hand on the window inside and the other hand that was leaning out. And, let go. And I fell five stories. Sal Mauriello, who was a barber was coming home earlier that day, and he heard a woman scream. She, um, pointed up to the window. And he took off his coat, and I fell into his arms.

EG: Is that what happened? I mean, he took his jacket off and he used his jacket as a bit of a net to catch you?

MG: Yes. Good thing he was a good catch. So, I fractured my nose, but, um, there was no trauma, and I became very popular in the neighborhood. My mother’s name was Blanche, and I was known as ’Blanche’s son who fell out the window’.

EG: So whatever happened to Sal? I mean he’s the patron saint Sal; he’s our hero.

MG: Well it turned out that his daughter was a reporter. And every Passover holiday, he would say ’I wonder what happened to Marvin Goldstein?’ So, finally she said, ’Dad, let’s see if we can find out.’ And, so what happened was we met, and it was absolutely thrilling to see Sal. We hugged; we kissed. And, it was a glorious reunion.

EG: I, I remember that because it was on my birthday, April 24th, 1988. And I got a copy of the Daily News, and there was a picture on the cover of you and Sal and a headline ”Catch!”

MG: We went to the building where I fell out from the window and he caught me. And he told mom and I that he kept the jacket with the blood from my nose. He never cleaned it, and he, he kept it in his closet. His wife said that this was one of the most important days in his life. And I said, ’Well, his being there for me, of course, was one of the most important days in my life. And he was just so so happy that we were together again.