Man heroically saves 3-year-old toddler by catching her after she falls from 5th-floor balcony

Donning an invisible cape, an Italian banker emerged as a hero, catching a three-year-old girl in a breathtaking save from a fifth-floor fall in Turin. The incident happened on Saturday, August 26, when 37-year-old Mattia Aguzzi was on his way to a bakery with his girlfriend in the morning. "I heard a man scream when he saw the little girl leaning out on the ledge. The little girl kept leaning more and more and climbed over the ledge, she held on only with two arms and her legs were in the air," Aguzzi narrated the incident to Sky24. He added: "I started yelling at her to stay still and to go back inside but she didn't hear. When I saw her fall I stepped in the way, closed my eyes and hoped that everything was going to be for the best, I blocked her by cushioning the blow and we both fell to the ground...Initially I didn't feel any sign of life, then the baby started crying and I breathed a sigh of relief."

Once Aguzzi caught the toddler, her parents rushed to the street to check up on her and the little girl was immediately taken to the hospital by first responders. As per the banker, the toddler is "fine" now. He also suffered some "minor injuries" but he was treated for them. 

Aguzzi's heroic act stole the spotlight on the Internet and garnered praise from Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. She tweeted, “The story of a little girl who fell from a fifth-floor balcony in a building in Turin could have turned into tragedy. But thanks to the promptness of Mattia Aguzzi, who saw her fall and grabbed her in the air, her life is saved. Much honor and gratitude to this young hero." The mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, also called for Aguzzi to be honored. “The actions of Mattia Aguzzi, our fellow citizen who this morning, catching [the girl] on the fly, saved the life of the little girl who fell from the fifth floor, is a heroic and extraordinary gesture,” Lo Russo also shared a note in a Facebook post, which is when loosely translated to English, reads. "An act of courage, which includes altruism, sense of protection and care for others, made possible also thanks to the help of another citizen, who attracted Mr. Aguzzi's attention and allowed him to stop the fall of the girl. We have to thank them both: for saving a life and taking action that makes us proud and reminding us how important it is to feel community in the deepest sense."

As for Aguzzi, he feels somewhat overwhelmed by the attention. “Don’t call me a hero. I did everything so naturally. I didn’t think of anything and tried to do what had to be done,” he told Sky24. The banker also saw the funny side of things claiming that his extra weight helped him. He said, "And in any case now they won’t tell me anymore that it’s better if I lose a little weight. It went well. What more could we want? Destiny put us there. Chance, fate. As far as I know, we’re all fine. And this, believe me, is the most beautiful thing.”