Had A Slip, This Man Was Willing To Throw His Cell Phone To Save A Toddler Who Fell From The 6th Floor Of A Building

Police line illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Tony Webster)

JAKARTA - A man has received praise and respect for saving a toddler who fell from the sixth floor of a building, because he slipped and chose to throw his cellphone to catch the toddler from a height.

Identified as an employee of a bank, a 31-year-old man named Shen Dong managed to save a toddler who fell from a height in Tongxian City, Zhejiang Province, China on July 19.

In a video shared by Zhao Lijian, deputy director of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department, on Twitter, with the caption “hero among us”, Shen is seen running towards the building with a woman while talking on the phone.

Despite slipping on the ground for a moment, he threw his cell phone aside and managed to catch a toddler who was seen falling from the sixth floor of the building, reports CNA July 28.

The 13-second clip Zhao uploaded on July 22 garnered more than 11,800 likes, with commentators saluting Shen for his heroism or calling him and the unknown woman "angel".

Heroes among us. pic.twitter.com/PumEDocVvC

— Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) July 22, 2022

Others tried to see a lighter side after watching the arguably stressful video, as one Twitter user quipped: “Get the man contract (National Football League). I know some teams that need good feedback."

According to local media reports, the toddler fell from the sixth floor of the apartment block after climbing onto a bench. He landed on the steel terrace on the first floor, where he fell before Shen caught him.

Shen was parking his car when he heard a thud from the first fall and was on the phone with emergency services before the boy slid off the roof, prompting him to throw his phone aside to catch him.

"I believe that anyone can come forward to arrest the girl. I was there at the right time," Shen told local media.

“That girl is called Xinxin. Coincidentally, my daughter is also called Xinxin. Even the characters are the same," he said.

Thankfully, the child survived the dramatic fall with injuries to his legs and lungs, but is otherwise fine. Shen himself was not injured in the rescue, which he attributed to "exercise regularly".

The toddler received treatment for his injuries at the Tongxiang Second People's Hospital and was discharged the same day.

He told Qianjiang Evening News: “It was just instinct to reach out to him. Luckily I made it in time.”