A 22-year-old Malian migrant, Mamoudou Gassama, earned the nickname ‘Spider Man’ after scaling four floors of a building to save a dangling child from a balcony had his first day at a new job with the Paris Fire Brigade. He not only earned internet stardom but also French citizenship along with a job in the fire department. Mamoudou began his new job on Sunday, his press spokeswoman Djeneba Keita told CNN. He was one of 24 new recruits, the Paris Fire Brigade tweeted on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron invited the young man to the Elysee Palace where he was given a certificate and a gold medal for performing an act of courage and dedication. Gassama told Macron: “I didn’t think about it. I climbed up, and God helped me.” He also said when he reached the apartment, he became scared and started shaking.

Paris Fire Brigade’s Tweet About the 24 New Recruits

The team, according to the tweet, have started in voluntary civic service roles. A spokesperson for the Parisian fire department told AFP on the day it was fortunate there was someone who was physically fit and who had the courage to go and get the child. Gassama was in the neighbourhood to watch a football match in a local restaurant when he saw the commotion.

According to judicial sources, the four-year-old’s father was out grocery shopping when the incident occurred, leaving the child unsupervised and then proceeded to play Pokemon Go after leaving the shop. The child’s mother was away on a family trip. The father has been charged with ‘failure to meet parental obligations’ and could face up to two years in prison if found guilty at trial which is currently scheduled for September.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2018 12:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).