Stranger and police officer catch toddler as she falls from London window ledge
A young girl who was hanging from a window ledge in Ilford for at least nine minutes was saved by a ‘complete stranger’.
The three-year-old was seen by onlookers clinging to a window above a pawnbroker’s shop on Ilford High Road, east London, on Tuesday afternoon.
Footage shared on social media showed bystanders shouting, ‘Hurry up,’ as a woman appeared from a window below, calling and reaching out to her.
The young girl tried desperately to pull herself up as a police officer on a ledge below looked on helplessly at her.
A shirtless man joined the effort to rescue the girl just as her grip started to slip; a passerby can be seen below with a step ladder.
The man and officer positioned themselves directly below the girl, catching her the instant she fell, with gasps from the crowd.
However, the unidentified man caught her, and the officer steadied them both as he wobbled, while onlookers cheered and clapped below.
‘Well done!’ someone shouted. ‘The baby got saved, my God,’ another added.
The man and the child hugged before he handed her to the woman through the window below.
The officer thanked the man for saving the child, as seen in the video.
The girl’s father described the policeman and the second man who caught her as ‘amazing heroes’.
He stated that his daughter was ‘fine’ and would be going to school following the ordeal.
He mentioned that the man who assisted the officer in the rescue was a ‘complete stranger’ to them.
He said: ‘They were both amazing. They were heroes. We are so relieved. They saved our child.
‘She is fine thanks to them. We are very grateful. She will be going to school again today [and] we would like to say thanks to those people.’
The relieved father did not disclose how his daughter ended up on the ledge but, when asked how she managed to hold on, he added: ‘She’s very strong.’
A shopkeeper who witnessed the incident unfold described the police officer and the other man who caught the girl as ‘heroes’.
He said: ‘I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Those guys were heroes. Everyone is talking about it here and sharing the footage on social media. I don’t know the girl or her family, but it’s such a relief the child is okay.’
Shoppers on the high street could be heard questioning why the young girl was hanging off the window and where her parents or guardians were.
It is unclear who the woman or the man in the footage are.
The Met Police stated that officers arrived at the scene just after 3.20pm,
The police department added: ‘Officers were called to Ilford High Road at 3.23pm on Tuesday following concerns for the safety of a child climbing onto a window ledge.
‘The girl was brought to safety by 3.32pm by an attending officer and a member of the public.
‘They did not receive any injuries.’
Technology & Business Editor
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