This is the nail-biting moment a passer-by holds out his arms to catch a child toppling from a third-floor apartment before he hits the ground.

Dramatic CCTV footage of the rescue shows driver Li Minglin, 29, about to get into his car when a horrified cyclist screams at the lad about the plunge 50 feet to the ground.

But as the boy – who looks around seven years old – hurtles down, Li holds out his arms to catch him.

The footage shows that Li could not help but drop the boy, but broke his fall sufficiently for him not to be badly injured, according to local media.

The accident took place in the city of Huaiji, in the south-eastern Chinese province of Guangdong.

After the rescue, the boy’s mother scoops him into her arms and walks back into the building with him.

Hero Li needed treatment for severe muscle strain.

But he told local media: “I didn’t have time to think about anything, so I rushed over.

“It’s no big deal, the most important thing is that the child is okay.”

The video of the rescue was later shared on Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – where netizens applauded Li’s actions.

One user, ‘hug you through winter’, said: “Brother, I wish you peace and happiness from generation to generation, great wealth and great honour. Your children and grandchildren will be rich and honourable because of your kind deeds.”