Twenty-two-year-old Mamoudou Gassama, a Malian migrant living in Paris, earned the nickname “Spider-Man” when he risked his life to save a child dangling over the edge of an apartment terrace. The video of this spectacular rescue that went viral over the weekend, shows Gassama scaling the side of the apartment building, hopping vertically from terrace to terrace until reaching the child.
For his act of courage, the real-life superhero has been awarded citizenship and offered a job as a firefighter. President Emmanuel Macron also gave Gassama a certificate and a gold medal for performing an act of courage and dedication.
“I didn’t think about it, I climbed up and God helped me,” Gassama told Marcon (h/t CNN).
Gassama was reportedly in the neighborhood to watch a football game when he saw a 4-year-old dangling from an apartment terrace, with neighbors struggling to pull the child to safety.
“I like children,” Gassama told a CNN affiliate. “I would have hated to see him getting hurt in front of me. I ran and I looked for solutions to save him and thank God I scaled the front of the building to the balcony.”
The child’s father is being investigated for neglecting his parental duties. The child has been reportedly “placed in care.”
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo told Gassama that he is “an example for all citizens” in a phone call to congratulate him for his courageous act.
