‘Playing cricket in India helped’: Man who caught falling girl in London shares story

A man saved a three-year-old girl after she fell from a second-floor window in Ilford, London, with Mohamed Jesil later saying the cricket skills he learned in India may have helped him make the catch. The incident took place above a busy shopping street, where witnesses watched as the child clung to a window ledge several metres above the ground.

Jesil, a father of two, told Metro UK that his response was instinctive. He said, ‘I ran out on instinct. I’m a dad of twins aged five months, and as a dad I just reacted.’ He added, ‘I wasn’t scared, I just didn’t think. I’m not a hero, I just did it as a dad seeing a child in trouble.’

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The girl, who was wearing a pink jacket and brown trousers, was seen trying to pull herself back to safety while hanging from the ledge above a pawnbroker’s shop. As she struggled to hold on, a crowd gathered below, and emergency services were called. At one point, a woman appeared at a lower window and shouted to the girl while people on the street watched anxiously.

Jesil later said his cricket background may have played a part in the rescue. He said, ‘I played cricket in India, so that may have helped my catching. I just knew I had to concentrate.’ Moments later, he and a Metropolitan Police officer positioned themselves directly beneath the child. When her grip gave way, the girl fell from the ledge but was safely caught by Jesil with help from the police officer. She was then passed through the lower window to the waiting woman, believed to be her mother, as people below began to applaud.

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Jesil said the child later thanked him with a hug. He said, ‘She didn’t say anything, just gave me a big hug. I’m so happy I could help.’ According to the Metropolitan Police, officers were called to Ilford High Road at 3.23 pm over concerns for the safety of a child on a window ledge, and she was brought to safety by 3.32 pm. The child was unharmed, and her father later said she was ‘fine’ and had returned to school the next day. Footage of the incident and the rescue has since gone viral.