A Wembley fitness instructor, who stepped up to save a man about to take his own life, has been honoured for his bravery.

Elias Maz was passing by a house during the summer when he saw the man in distress and immediately raised the alarm before climbing up onto a slippery porch roof to help him. Firefighters arrived shortly after.

This week, Elias attended Wembley Fire Station to receive a commendation from the brigade’s borough commander Ian Thompson.

Station officer Simon Horn attended the incident. He said: “Elias trusted his instincts and not only dialled 999 straight away, he also immediately went to help. Having the confidence to act in that situation could have saved a life.”

Elias said: “I was walking from my car to the house where my girlfriend lives and we’d just been grocery shopping.

“When I spotted the man in trouble, I just wanted to help. I told my girlfriend to call the emergency services while I called neighbours for help. To be honest, I was not expecting to receive anything for doing this. I am truly grateful for being honoured like this.”

Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123.