Malian Man Who Climbed Building to Save Child Dangling from Balcony Receives French Citizenship

A migrant from Mali has been the talk of the news after he scaled four floors of a Paris apartment in order to save a child dangling from a balcony.

In a viral video documenting the incredible rescue, Mamoudou Gassama, 22, can be seen quickly climbing up the front of the building, reaching the 4-year-old child within seconds.

The brave act occurred on Saturday at around 8 p.m. in Paris’ 18th Arrondissement, according to The Guardian.

Following the rescue, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, called Gassama the “Spider-Man of the 18th” on social media and thanked him for his “act of bravery.”

“He explained to me that he had arrived from Mali a few months ago dreaming of building his life here,” she added, according to CNN. “I told him that his heroic act is an example to all citizens and that the city of Paris will obviously be very keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France.”

On Monday, Gassama met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who informed the 22-year-old that he would soon be granted French citizenship and receive a job with the Paris fire brigade, according to CNN.

Describing what led him to save the child, Gassama told Macron that he “didn’t think about it,” the outlet reported.

“I climbed up and God helped me,” he added.

According to multiple outlets, the child’s father was not present at the apartment at the time of the rescue, has since been taken into custody and was scheduled to appear in front of a judge on Monday morning.

Watch the incident below.

https://youtu.be/2qQJ3dosWu8