A 37-year-old banker hailing from Turin has become a symbol of heroism after performing a miraculous feat – catching a young Italian toddler who had accidentally fallen from her family’s fifth-floor balcony. The incident unfolded in central Turin, Italy, as Mattia Aguzzi and his girlfriend were on their way to a local bakery before 11 a.m. local time.
Aguzzi recounted how he was alerted by a man’s desperate cries for help from an upper-floor apartment. “My girlfriend and I were heading to buy bread when we heard screams that drew our attention,” he revealed in an interview with CNN affiliate Sky24, while outside the hospital where he was being treated for minor injuries sustained during the rescue.
He described the heart-stopping moment when he spotted the little girl precariously perched on the balcony ledge. “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 recounted.
Moved by instinct, Aguzzi tried to capture the child’s attention to prevent her from venturing any further, but his efforts proved futile as she didn’t respond. Fueled by quick thinking and bravery, he positioned himself below her, gauging her trajectory.
“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 explained.
Although there was an initial moment of panic, relief washed over him as the child began to cry. “Initially I didn’t feel any sign of life, then the baby started crying and I breathed a sigh of relief,” Aguzzi recalled.
The girl’s parents rushed to the scene after realizing the peril their child had faced, and emergency responders swiftly transported the girl to a hospital. While the parents were understandably shocked, the girl’s condition was reported as stable.
Turin’s mayor, Stefano Lo Russo, didn’t hesitate to acknowledge Aguzzi’s heroism. In a Facebook post, Lo Russo applauded his “heroic and extraordinary gesture” and called for Aguzzi to be honored.
Camilla Laureti, a parliamentarian, echoed the sentiment, proposing that Aguzzi be awarded a national medal for his courageous act. She declared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “I propose that #MattiaAguzzi, who saved a girl who fell from the fifth floor, risking his own safety and probably his own life, was awarded the Gold Medal for Civil Valor!”
Prime Minister Meloni expressed her gratitude to Aguzzi for his quick response. “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 was saved. Much honor and gratitude to this young hero,” she wrote on X the following day.
Despite the accolades, Aguzzi humbly rejected the label of hero. “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 stated. Lightening the mood, he playfully attributed his success to his extra weight and joked, “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.”
Italian authorities, specifically the Carabinieri security force, are conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. CNN has reached out to Aguzzi for his insights and comments on the matter.
