It’s a story that could have had a tragic end. Saturday August 26, 2023, Mattia Aguzzi was walking in the center of Turin, Italy, around 11 am. His morning took a new turn when he heard screams. As reported by the Italian media La Repubblica, Monday August 28, 2023, these came from a window. This 37-year-old banker discovered that a little girl, aged three, was going to fall from the fifth floor of a building. He miraculously managed to catch her before she finished falling on the sidewalk. “The little girl kept leaning more and more and climbed over the ledge, she was only holding on with two arms and her legs were in the air”first explained Mattia Aguzzi on the antenna of the Italian channel Sky TG24. “I started to yelling at her to stay still and go inside, but she didn’t hear“, he then specifies, also indicating that he then made the decision to position himself under the window. A choice that allowed him to save the little girl. “When I saw her fall, I stood in the way, closed my eyes and hoped for the best, I blocked it by cushioning the blow and we both fell to the ground”continued Mattia Aguzzi.
A heroic act hailed by Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister
As he held the little girl in his arms, Mattia Aguzzi was first panicked… before being relieved. “At first I felt no sign of life, then the baby started crying and I breathed a sigh of relief”, he confided. The child was taken to hospital for examination. According to the Italian media, his parents were, for their part, “shocked”. Sunday August 27, 2023, the act of this banker was greeted by Giorgia Meloni. On his account X (formerly Twitter), the Italian Prime Minister wrote: “The story of a little girl who fell from the 5th floor of a balcony of a building in Turin could have turned into a tragedy. But thanks to the promptness of Mattia Aguzzi, who saw her fall and caught her on the flight, she was saved. Honor and recognition to this young hero“. What to please the principal concerned who, this Monday, August 28, 2023, went to the hospital in order to exchange with the family of the little girl. “I am happy to know that she is well”he simply said, after being thanked for a long time by the mother of the child, specifies the Italian media.