Father of 'Paris Spider-Man' Rescue Child Was Playing Pokemon Go During Harrowing Event

The father of the young child who was rescued after dangling from a balcony in Paris, France, was [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

The father of the young child who was rescued after dangling from a balcony in Paris, France, was reportedly playing Pokemon Go when the tense situation occurred.

Several days ago, on May 26, footage of Malian immigrant Mamoudou Gassama, 22, climbing a building in Paris to rescue the child who clung to a ledge was shared online and spread quickly. The video below, in case you haven't seen it yet, shows Gassama scaling several stories without any kind of gear or precautions to assist him. Gassama received immediate attention and praise for his heroic actions and met with French President Emmanuel Macon after being offered the chance to attain French citizenship and a position as a fireman.

With Gassama's story now heard by many, more information is coming out about the others involved in the situation, namely the young child's father. The father left the 4-year-old child along in the Paris apartment while he went out to the grocery store, a shopping trip that was prolonged when the father stayed out to play Pokemon Go. Authorities have now charged the father with "failure to meet parental obligations."

"He took a long time to return home because he had decided to play the smartphone game Pokémon Go when he left the store," French prosecutor François Mollins told the BFM television network (via ABC News). "He is devastated because he realizes what he did, and the tragic consequences that it could have led to."

The mother was not at home either when this even took place. Molins said that the boy who was in danger in the apartment was being looked after by his father while the mother was Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The charges that have been levied against the father mean that should he be convicted, he could be imprisoned for up to two years. He's currently scheduled to be sentenced in September according to a statement from Paris prosecutor spokesman Bruno Badre that was obtained by CNN.

Also according to CNN's information from Badre, the boy was placed in temporary care after the incident occurred. He's now been reunited with his father.

The daring rescue by Gassama has been circulating all weekend since the incident occurred with many dubbing the Malian migrant the Spider-Man of Paris. His ongoing story with French President Macron and the positions that he's been offered likely won't die down for a while now, but it won't be known what'll happen to the 4-year-old child's father until he goes to court in September.

[CNN, ABC News, The Verge]

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