A man who went out to buy bread in Turin, Italy, is being hailed a hero after he remarkably saved a young child's life. Mattia Aguzzi and his girlfriend were reportedly walking outside when they heard screaming from above. A toddler was playing on the balcony of an apartment building when she fell.
Aguzzi wasted no time and ran to catch the girl as she was free-falling to the ground. Remarkably, the little girl escaped the ordeal with only minor injuries. The incredible act of heroism did not go unnoticed.
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The screams caught their attention.
Aguzzi said when he looked up, he couldn't believe it. He told CNN affiliate Sky24 that he tried to tell the little girl not to play on the ledge but realized she couldn't hear him.
"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 told the news outlet.
He saw the girl begin to fall and braced himself to catch her.
Aguzzi told the network he did his best to get himself into position to catch the little girl.
"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 were both fell to the ground," he said.
Even though he caught her, he feared the child had died during the fall. "Initially I didn't feel any sign of life, then the baby started crying and I breathed a sigh of relief," he shared.
The child's parents came running into the street.
As Aguzzi held the toddler, her parents greeted him gratefully down below. First responders took her to a hospital for evaluation, but he said she was "fine."
Turin Mayor Stefano Lo Russo lauded Aguzzi on Facebook. He called him courageous and said he truly protected the little girl in a frightening time.
Lo Russo said Aguzzi should be honored by the city.
"I will propose to the City Council to grant him Civic Welfare, as a sign of gratitude from the City and in recognition of his brave and precious gesture," he wrote on Facebook.
Rosa Valenti echoed the mayor's statement in a Facebook post, writing, "Tragedy erupted in Turin yesterday, an almost four year old girl fell from a fifth floor balcony. Thanks to Mattia Aguzzi's promptness, who saw her rush and grab the flight, the little one is saved. Much honor and gratitude thanks to this angel. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, little one, may the fear disappear as soon as the bad dreams do."
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Many people on social media were impressed by Aguzzi's heroism.
Although several posts are in Aguzzi's native language, Italian, some shared their praise in English.
"This guy, Mattia Aguzzi, 37, caught a 5 years old girl falling from the 5th floor and saved her life. He didn't even broke his arms (15-20 kg falling from 15m), so he likely caught her using muscles from his whole body," Alessando Riolo tweeted.
"The story of a girl who fell from 5th floor of a balcony in a building in Turin could have turned into tragedy. But thanks to promptness of Mattia Aguzzi, who saw her fall & grabbed her in the air, her life was saved. Much honor & gratitude to this young hero," another person praised.
Incredibly, the little girl is OK, and Aguzzi walked away with just minor injuries. It is likely to be a day none of them will ever forget.
