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Hero catches teen who fell 20 feet from mall escalator

Posted at 2:39 PM, Feb 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-16 14:39:58-05

ST. LOUIS -- An alert shopper is being called a hero after he caught a teen who fell from an escalator in Missouri earlier this month, according to KTVI.

Surveillance video shows two teenagers playing near an escalator inside the South County Center on Feb. 4. The teens are shown grabbing the moving handrail and holding on until it lifts them off the ground.

One of the teens held on for too long and was dangling 20 feet above the ground when she started screaming for help. Seconds later, the escalator handrail forced her to let go. Mark Maloy stood under the girl and caught her before she hit the ground.

The girl, who was not injured, left the mall before Maloy learned her name. The girl's friend thanked him for catching her friend.

Mall officials issued a statement thanking Maloy for saving the girl. The mall also said horseplay near escalators is against the mall's conduct policy.