Man throws baby from the second floor, NJ officials say. A hero officer was below
A baby thrown from a balcony wasn’t hurt — thanks to help from a heroic officer, New Jersey officials said.
The Jersey City Police Department rushed into action on Saturday morning after receiving a report that a man was threatening to toss the 1-month-old girl from the second floor of a building, the city’s mayor, Steven Fulop, wrote in a Facebook post.
The man also reportedly dangled the child from a balcony before police arrived and tried to negotiate with him. But officials said he eventually threw the youngster from the second story.
Fortunately, police were ready to respond. That included Officer Eduardo Matute, who is credited with catching the child.
“Officers went above and beyond the call of duty once again, saving the life of a 1 month old baby under extremely stressful circumstances,” Jersey City officials wrote on Twitter.
A photo shared on social media shows Matute holding the baby in a blanket after the rescue. The girl “wasn’t harmed physically” but went to a local hospital out of caution after the incident on Rose Avenue in Jersey City, across the Hudson River from New York, officials said.
“Kudos to the JCPD and all the officers involved for their heroics and for bringing a safe conclusion to this dangerous situation,” the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office wrote in a Twitter post.
The man, who wasn’t identified, has been arrested. He is charged with attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault, according to Jersey City spokesperson Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione.
The investigation was ongoing as of Monday morning, officials said.
