Heroic bystander saves toddler after they fell from fifth-floor balcony
An Italian toddler has been miraculously caught by a passerby after falling five floors from an apartment balcony. Banker Mattia Aguzzi, 37, was walking with his partner towards a bakery in downtown Turin on Saturday morning when he heard cries.
A three-year-old toddler had scaled the railing of her family’s balcony above the street.
Mr Aguzzi later told an Italian news channel how he saw the young girl perched precariously on the balcony railing.
He described how the girl leaned further, eventually mounting the railing with only her two arms clutching it and her legs dangling in the air.
Mr Aguzzi told Sky24: “I heard a man scream when he saw the little girl leaning out on the ledge.
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“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.
“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,” he said.
“Initially I didn’t feel any sign of life, then the baby started crying and I breathed a sigh of relief.”
Mr Aguzzi and the toddler both suffered minor injuries.
The incident triggered an intervention from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who noted the case “could have turned into tragedy”.
Ms Meloni wrote on X, formally Twitter: “But thanks to the promptness of Mattia Aguzzi, who saw her fall and grabbed her in the air, her life is saved. Much honour and gratitude to this young hero,”
Meanwhile, the mayor of the city also released a statement calling for Mr Aguzzi to be honoured.
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The Mayor of Turin said: “The actions of Mattia Aguzzi, our fellow citizen who, 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.”
However, Mr Aguzzi has shrugged off the plaudits.
He said: “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.”
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He added: “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.”
The Carabinieri, Italy’s national police force, are currently examining the incident.
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