A grateful York mother is hoping the, as yet unidentified, cyclist who saved the life of her infant child will step forward so she can thank him.

The drama unfolded this morning at about 9.30am when the 31-year old woman was pushing a pram carrying the 4-month old baby girl alongside the River Ouse near York’s Lendal Bridge, reports the York Press. Stopping to do up the coat of her older child, she let go of the pram which rolled into the river.

A passing cyclist leapt into action, dropping his bike before jumping into the river and plucking out both pram and baby. Then, like some two-wheeled guardian angel, the rider pedalled off before the woman could get his name.

Police are hoping the man will come forward so the grateful and relieved mum can thank him for his heroic intervention. 

UPDATE: The anonymous hero now has an identity. He is David Atkinson, 46, (no, not our Dave, though he did claim to have taken a long detour on his way in to work yesterday) who jumped into the river and rescued the infant who police believe would otherwise have drowned..

David, of Acomb, York, was cycling home near the Aviva building when he saw the drama unfold. He raced after the pram but anable to grab it jumped into the river and retrieved both pram and baby, assisted by  two other men, Mik Tankard and Jamie Atkin.

Jamie works at the nearby Bike Rescue Project hub beneath Lendal Bridge where the mother and baby were taken immediately after the incident prior to being transported to hospital where the child was checked and declared uninjured.