New York man catches girl falling from window; watch video

ABCNews

A 7-year-old New York City girl escaped injury after she fell from a third-story window when she was caught by a neighbor.

Cell phone video taken by a resident in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn shows Keyla McCree standing on an air conditioning unit moments before she fell and landed in the bushes. Her dramatic fall was broken by the arms of Steven St. Bernard, who rushed to the scene and caught the girl.

“Please let me catch her, please let me catch her, that’s all I could say. Let me catch the little baby, that’s all,” said St. Bernard.

The 52-year-old bus driver and father of four told ABC News affiliate WABC that he was just in the right place at the right time.

“It feels good now to know that I did something,” said St. Bernard, who lives in the apartment complex.

Keyla, who is autistic, managed to perch herself on the air conditioner by pushing through one of the accordion pieces that holds the unit to the window while her mother was in the next room. Moments before she fell, McCree was seen dancing on the air conditioning unit. Police tell WABC they do not believe McCree’s parents did anything criminal.

“She did hit the bushes and the ground a little, but not straight on because of his arms,” said witness Latasha Marcus.

St. Bernard tore a tendon in his left shoulder and was sporting a sling after the incident. As for Keyla, she’s doing just fine thanks to the man who certainly lived up to his name.

“I saw her in the hospital. She doesn’t have a scratch on her,” said St. Bernard.

This morning, friends and neighbors are calling St. Bernard a hero. “No. A hero is a sandwich. I just saw a kid, that’s it,” said St. Bernard.