Guy Walking Down Street Spots Someone Tiny Crying Out From Above

“It was a 20-30 foot drop” 😰

It was a warm summer night in New York City when a man saw something move on the overpass above him. He looked up, expecting to see a bird perched on the ledge. He knew the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, a suspended four-lane highway, was a common rest stop for local pigeons.

Instead, he found a tiny, black and white kitten curled up on the ledge of the suspended highway. The little guy was scared and crying out for help, but no one could figure out how to rescue him.

John Debacker

Eventually, concerned passersby called John Debacker, vice president of

Long Island Cat Kitten Solution.

“This was one of my most intense rescues because of the danger involved,” Debacker told The Dodo.

Debacker is used to highway rescues, but this one was different. Instead of being on ground level, the kitten was trapped high up, stranded on a dangerous ledge.

John Debacker

“On one side of him, there were cars whizzing by at like 60 miles per hour,” Debacker said. “On the other side, it was a 20-30 foot drop."

Because of the risk involved with the rescue, Debacker called a few cop friends and another rescue friend, Eddie Stepinski, to help. The team met on the street right below the cat, then drove around and onto the expressway together.

Luckily for Debacker, the kitten had fallen asleep, lulled by the sound of cars driving past him, which made capturing him a little bit easier.

“The noise from the traffic made it easy to sneak up on him,” Debacker said. “I reached out and grabbed him while he was sleeping.”

John Debacker

Debacker snatched the kitten off the ledge and pulled him in close. He looked down at the street below and was shocked to see a group of strangers banding together to help him.

“A few people were down below holding a blanket in case he fell,” Debacker said, “But, thankfully, it went smoothly."

Everyone, including the group of Good Samaritans below, was overjoyed when Debacker finally had the kitten in his arms. The little guy tried to claw his way out of Debacker’s grasp, but the rescuer only held on tighter.

“I had the cat in my arms, and I wasn’t letting him go for anything,” Debacker said. “He was not happy with me, but I couldn’t let him go. If he’d gotten away from me, I’d probably never see him again.”

John Debacker

With the kitten, later named High Wire, safely in his care, Debacker made his way back to the car. He placed the cat in a crate and drove straight to the vet.

Debacker wasn’t sure how long the kitten had been on his own, but surprisingly, he received a clean bill of health from the vet and was deemed ready to start his search for a forever home.

John Debacker

To help High Wire find his family, Debacker brought him to the Brooklyn Cat Cafe, where he was soon adopted.

Today, High Wire is living his best life with his new family. The little guy is still as adventurous as ever, but he’s staying away from highways and cars. Instead, he spends his days safe at home, curled up alongside his new favorite people.

“Now he’s home,” Debacker said.

To help cats like High Wire get rescued, you can make a donation to Long Island Cat and Kitten Solution.