Mall Security Camera Captures What Can Only Be Described As A Guardian Angel In Action

Escalators are nothing to mess around with. While it can be tempting to make a game out of the continuously moving staircase, it’s best to use them for what they are meant for…to get to a different floor. But, while people can be cautioned over and over again, these mishaps still occur. Recently, one young girl has learned a lesson about proper mall behavior.

While shopping at the South County Center in St. Louis, Missouri, Mark Maloy, witnessed some horseplay on the escalators, and it’s a good thing that he did because he ended up saving one girl’s life. The teen girl, along with her friend, was playing a game where they would hold onto the moving handle a few seconds longer, until they had to jump down to the next staircase. They had made a game out of it to see how long they could hold on and how far they had to jump. They would wait until they were about three or four feet high and then jump off. It wasn’t the smartest game to play, but it was innocent enough.

Maloy noticed that one of the girl’s had hung on to the rail for too long. When the girl realized how high off the ground she was, she started to panic and scream. By then it was too late, but that is when Maloy came to the rescue. She had come to a point where she had to let go of the rail. When she let go, her body smashed into the railing alongside the escalator and Maloy caught her, just as she was falling head-first, 20 feet to the ground. Maloy, who didn’t hesitate in his rescue, jumped into action and prevented the girl from suffering a broken neck. While he ended up with a sore shoulder, sore leg and hurt ribs, he admits that he would do it all over again.

“I didn’t even think,” said Maloy. “It was like a switch flipped and I just ran to her.”

In the surveillance video, you can witness Maloy running toward the girl, before he caught her like a baby. “It’s natural for us to care for each other and it’s natural to help someone in need, especially a child. It’s a good thing to do,” said Maloy, who relies heavily on his faith.

Mall officials released a statement that thanked Maloy for his heroic action and also warned that horseplay on the escalators and in the mall is against the code of conduct. We can be sure that this young girl will never forget Maloy, who happened to be at the right place at the right time with the right mindset. Not everyone would’ve jumped in to save the girl, but Maloy essentially risked his own life to save the girl. Had she landed on him differently, then he would’ve ended up with far worse injuries.

Maloy’s family is very proud of him for his quick-thinking, heroic actions. “I’m proud of my dad,” said Maloy’s son, who looks at his father as a hero.