A New Jersey police officer has been hailed a hero after he caught a one-month-old baby who was thrown from a second-floor balcony by a deranged man.
FOR POLICE officer Eduardo Matute of the Jersey City Police in the US, last Saturday started as an ordinary day. But after he and fellow officers were alerted to a domestic dispute, things soon turned terrifying when a lengthy stand-off ensued, resulting in an unidentified man standing on the balcony of a second storey building with a one-month-old baby in his hands.
What happened next is close to a miracle. The man dangled the baby over the balcony railing and dropped the child, according to USA Today.
Officer Matute was among multiple officers who was positioned below the balcony and he caught the baby.
Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione, a city spokesperson, told the news outlet that the child was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop later posted a photo of Matute holding the baby, on social media.
“Kudos to the JCPD and all the officers involved for their heroics and for bringing a safe conclusion to this dangerous situation,” said Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez on Twitter.
And as for the unidentified man, Wallace-Scalcione said the man who dropped the baby was arrested. Charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child were pending.
