Restaurant manager rescues girl dangling from London balcony ledge

A restaurant manager in east London climbed across nearby rooftops and caught a three-year-old girl who had slipped from a window ledge above a pawnbroker’s shop on Ilford High Road. Officers were called shortly after 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday, and the child was brought to safety within minutes with no injuries.

The girl had been hanging from the ledge for at least nine minutes before the rescue, witnesses said. Witnesses watched a crowd gather below, while a woman reached out from a lower window and a Metropolitan Police officer moved into position beneath the ledge. Mohamed Jesil then made his way across the rooftops to reach the rescue point and caught the child as she lost her grip.

Jesil is a restaurant manager and father of five-month-old twins. He said he acted on “pure instinct” when he heard the commotion. He later said cricket in India may have helped him make the catch: “I played cricket in India so that may have helped with my catching.” He is originally from Kerala, in Malappuram, and lives in east London.

The girl’s father called Jesil and the officer “amazing heroes” and said they saved his child. He said she was unharmed and recovering well, and expected to return to school the following day. A passerby brought a step ladder to the scene.