Man Climbs Up 4 Stories To Save Child Hanging From Balcony
Parisian Mayor Anne Hidalgo praised the heroic actions of 22-year-old Mamoudou Gassama, who climbed up four stories on the outside of a building after noticing a child was dangling from the railing. The 4-year-old child’s father left him on the balcony while he went to get some groceries, however while the child’s father was out the young boy somehow climbed up the railing and was seen hanging over the outside of the building, clinging for his life.
Gassama is a Malian migrant, who sprung into action when he noticed a crowd of onlookers, and quickly scaled up the side of the building. By the time Parisian emergency services arrived, Gassama had already pulled the child to safety. French president Emmanuel Macron invited Gassama to the Elysee Palace on Monday, and gave him a gold medal and certificate.
Gassama was also granted full French citizenship, along with being offered a job with Paris’ fire brigade. When Macron asked Gassama about the incident, Gassama responded with “He [the boy] was crying because he was hurt. I like children, I would have hated to see him getting hurt in front of me. I ran and I looked for solutions to save him and thank God I scaled the front of the building to the balcony.”
Authorities are investigating the child’s father for neglecting his child, and no longer has custody of his son. He will be sentenced in September.
