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Falling baby catch makes Home Depot worker a viral video star

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A 19-year-old Home Depot worker in Alaska said he is neither pleased nor bothered by the sudden fame a video of him catching a falling baby brought his way.

Christopher Strickland of Anchorage said he was working at a Home Depot store in Anchorage and was in the cashier area of the store Jan. 9 when he noticed an unbuckled baby in a car seat balanced atop a shopping cart, the Anchorage Daily News reported Friday.

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"I thought I'd keep an eye on it, in case something happened," he said.

Strickland jumped to the baby's rescue and caught it in mid-air when the infant fell from the car seat. The catch was recorded by the store's security cameras and ended up posted online by an unknown employee.

The video quickly went viral and Strickland said he has been fielding calls for interviews from around the world.

However, the teenager said he doesn't have any strong feelings about his sudden fame or being branded a hero.

"No, not really," he said. "I don't care either way."

Strickland said his actions were only a matter of reflexes, but store manager Brady Wilson also credited his "character."

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Cheryl Edmond, the store's human resources manager, said Strickland deserves to be called a hero.

"He literally saved her life," Edmond said.

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