Young girl dangles from window ledge before dramatic rescue above shop in Ilford

A young girl dangled for at least nine minutes from a window ledge in Ilford before being saved by a bystander.

The girl was spotted by onlookers clinging to a window on a flat above a pawnbroker’s on Ilford High Road, east London, on Tuesday afternoon.

Footage posted on social media showed bystanders screaming, ‘Hurry up,’ as a woman appears from a window below, calling and reaching out to her.

The youngster desperately tries to pull herself up as a police officer on a ledge below appears, looking helplessly at the girl.

A topless man joined the pair to rescue the girl just as her grip began to fail, as a passerby can be seen below carrying a step ladder.

The man and officer position themselves directly below the girl, the instant she falls, gasps ringing from the crowd.

She dangled for at least nine minutes after police arrived (Picture: X/@CrimeLdn)

But the unidentified man caught her, with the officer steadying them both as he wobbled and onlookers cheered and clapped below.

‘Well done!’ one shouted. ‘The baby got saved, my God,’ another added.

The man and child embrace before he hands her to the woman through the window below.

The officer thanks the man for saving the child, according to the video.

A shopkeeper who saw the incident unfold branded the police officer and the other man who caught the girl ‘heroes’.

He told Metro: ‘I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Those guys were heroes. Everyone is talking about it here and sharing the footage on social media. I don’t know the girl or her family, but it’s such a relief the child is ok.’

The high street where the girl was rescued. (Picture: John Dunne)

Shoppers on the high street can be heard questioning why the youngster was hanging off the window and where her parents or guardians are.

It is unclear who the woman or the man in the footage is.

The Met Police said officers arrived at the scene just after 3.20pm,

The force added: ‘Officers were called to Ilford High Road at 3.23pm on Tuesday following concerns for the safety of a child climbing onto a window ledge.

‘The girl was brought to safety by 3.32pm by an attending officer and member of the public.

‘They did not receive any injuries.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Comments Add as preferred source