A little girl dangling from a window ledge above a pawnbrokers shop on Ilford High Road in East London dropped into the arms of a topless man and a police officer on Tuesday – a heart-stopping rescue that lasted at least nine minutes.
The child was caught on harrowing footage desperately trying to pull herself back to safety as she hung precariously from the building. Onlookers below watched helplessly, growing increasingly anxious as the girl's grip weakened. A woman appeared from a window beneath her, calling out and reaching up. Then a topless man and a police officer climbed onto a ledge below just as the girl seemed to be in increasing difficulty.
“Child hanging from Ilford window ledge rescued after nine minutes by topless man and police officer.”
Gasps erupted from the crowd as she dropped. But she was caught by the man and the officer. Audible relief swept through the scene, followed by applause and shouts of “well done” and “good job”.
The Met Police said officers were called to the scene at 15:23hrs on Tuesday, June 9, following reports of concerns for a child’s safety. The girl was brought to safety by 15:32hrs – meaning she had been hanging from the ledge for at least the time officers were in attendance.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Officers were called to Ilford High Road at 15:23hrs on Tuesday, June 9, following concerns for the safety of a child climbing onto a window ledge. The girl was bought to safety by 15:32hrs by an attending officer and member of the public.”