Airport Security Guard
A security guard at Poland's Katowice Airport dove across the floor just in time to catch a falling baby. LiveLeak Screenshot

A Polish airport security guard is being lauded as a hero after a video in which he dives across the floor to catch a falling baby went viral this week.

Surveillance cameras captured footage of the incident, which reportedly took place on Nov. 23 at Katowice Airport in Poland, Time.com reports. In the viral video, the baby’s father appears to focus on his luggage as the infant crawls toward the edge of a table.

In an interview with Polish news channel TVN24, airport security guard Paczko said that he was standing about four or five meters (about 13 or 16 feet) away from the baby. Paczko noticed that the baby was about to fall, and he dove to catch the youngster just before the boy hit the floor.

Paczko claimed that instinct drove him to dive and catch the baby, MSN’s 9News reports via TVN24. After matching the miraculous catch, the airport security guard handed the child over to his mother. He received a bonus for his heroic action, according to the video’s description.

Cezary Orzech, a spokesman for Katowice Airport, said that airport security guards are tasked with more than merely keeping the peace, Time.com reports. He also warned parents to keep an eye on their children during their holiday travels; aside from the implications on the child’s health, Orzech said that an injury would likely have caused the boy’s parents to miss their flight.

A video of the Polish airport security guard’s heroic catch can be viewed below.