A five-year-old girl miraculously survived after her father jumped in front of a moving train while holding her.
Police said 45-year-old Fernando Balbuena-Flores had tragically jumped onto the tracks and was hit by a train in The Bronx, New York, just before 8am on Monday.
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He had been holding his young daughter, but amazingly she was not hit by the train herself. She was taken to the Jacobi Medical Center, where she was treated for scratches.
The incident happened during the busy morning rush, with commuters lining the train platform. They had apparently tried to wave down the train operator as they pulled into the station, but it was too late and the man jumped onto the tracks.
Two good Samaritans leaped onto the tracks and helped get the little girl to safety as she clambered out from under the train, before cops presented her with toys.
The mother of the child, Niurka Caraballo, told ABC on Monday afternoon: "Please respect my pain. Thank you for being there, thank you for having my back.
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"Thank you to the 52nd precinct - I'm home now and they're still reaching out to make sure that I made it home OK, that I eat, that my daughter eats.
"Thank you, but please respect my pain. The child is in perfect condition, thank you to God and the angels who took care of her.
"Everything is fine, except the absence of my husband - thank you."
Just before the man jumped, witnesses recalled that he was calm, and on the phone to his wife.
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Witness Pamela Ivy said: "I heard him telling the wife that, 'You look out for the other two kids, I'm gonna take her to school,' and then he said, 'I love you'."
But neighbours said Balbuena-Flores - who they referred to as a 'good father' was a quiet man who suffered from depression, and had been on and off his medication.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesperson Shams Tarek said: "This is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the family members as well as with our employees who responded - this is a traumatic event for everyone involved."
The New York City Administration for Children's Services also said in a statement: "Our top priority is protecting the safety and wellbeing of all children in New York City. We are investigating this case with NYPD."