It was one of those hair-raising moments that could have ended in tragedy, but thankfully didn’t.
An infant climbed out of a second-story window during a storm and lost his balance. Luckily, a heroic stranger was there to prevent the very young child from being harmed.
The incident was captured on a nearby CCTV camera and was later uploaded to the internet.
The YouTube video of the baby being rescued was posted on May 22nd and is already at over 900,000 views.
In the video, a man identified as Mr. Li is seen walking down the street in the middle of an intense thunderstorm. Li looks up and spots a 1-year-old infant that has climbed onto a window ledge.
It’s quite possible the little guy was terrified by the storm and was looking for his mother, who apparently had stepped away momentarily.
In the video you can see Li and concerned neighbors panicking, trying to signal to the infant to go back into his home.
They also grab what items they can, such as cardboard boxes and an ottomans, to try their best to cushion the fall of the youngster should he lose his balance.
Finally, Li reaches up, preparing to catch the child should he fall. With the ledge growing slippery from the falling rain, inevitably the baby came tumbling down.
INCREDIBLE VIDEO: A man caught a baby just as he fell out of a window. http://t.co/4ZhR6NQ1je http://t.co/aAjPepRmwh pic.twitter.com/d38eeyPHS0
— WKRN (@WKRN) May 23, 2014
You can tell when the slip occurred based on the horrified expressions of the adults below.
Li moved quickly to position himself (as did another neighbor named Mr. Hu) and the infant was captured by the startled man.
The adults gather around to ensure that the baby was okay. At the end of the video, the relieved young mother can be seen carrying in the infant away.
Said Li, “I didn’t think too much at the time. I was just afraid of failing to catch him.” He added, “It was nothing but human instinct to do so.”
Mr. Li, You Are An Unsung Hero…Amazing, Frightening Moment When Man Catches Falling Baby: http://t.co/Kxx1GKAhqJ via @AOL
— Jen N' Joni (@twowisegals) May 23, 2014
Human instinct or not, Li is a hero to at least two people today: A young mother and a baby who may not have lived to see birthday number two had it not been for the man’s quick thinking and reflexes.
Image via YouTube