Tampa bus driver stops to save barefoot toddler wandering alone on busy Florida street
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A quick-thinking bus driver is being praised for taking action after spotting a young boy wandering alone and barefoot in the middle of a busy street in Florida.
Barbara Baker, a driver and grandmother, stopped her bus on Route 12 in Tampa just after 7 a.m. on Aug. 31 to help the pajama-wearing child, according to video released Wednesday by the Hillsborough Public Transportation Authority (HART).
In video footage taken from inside the bus, Baker can be heard saying “Oh my God.” “Look at the baby, he’s there all alone,” he said.
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He stopped the bus and hurried out the front door to help the boy.
“Come here, baby,” he said to the little boy, before picking up the boy, who had by then wandered off to the side of the road.
A young boy was spotted more than two blocks from his home by an experienced bus driver. (Courtesy of Hillsborough Area Regional Transit)
Because the boy was unable to communicate where his home was, Baker returned to the bus holding him in his arms.
“Give me a second, please,” he said to passengers on his bus as he called HART operations and waited for police to arrive.
In the video, the child can be heard saying “Mom.” His age was not immediately available.
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Baker held her by the hips and continued to speak to her soothingly while she waited for help.
The police knocked on doors in the neighborhood and found the child’s mother 20 minutes after the incident. The family lived two and a half blocks from where the child was found, according to HART.
Barbara Baker, a long-time bus driver, waited with the little child in her arms until the police arrived. (Courtesy of Hillsborough Area Regional Transit)
In an interview with HART following the incident, Baker said his “heart dropped” as soon as he saw the boy on the street.
“When the police came, it was like I almost wanted to cry because I was thinking about my grandchildren and I said, ‘Oh, the cars.’ [are] passes and no one helps this baby on the way.”
As soon as he saw the boy on the street, his “heart dropped”.
Baker said just remembering the incident made him emotional. “But knowing the baby is home is a big thing for me,” she said.
In the video posted on Facebook, HART praised Baker and said: “Transit workers do more than just drive; they protect the community every mile of the road.”
In an interview with HART, Baker said his “heart dropped” when he saw the little boy alone on the street. Social media users praise him for his quick thinking and actions. (Courtesy of Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority)
“Operator Baker’s courage and caution exemplify the dedication and courage that define our team,” HART CEO Scott Drainville said in a statement.
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Operators are trained to be alert and “situationally aware” for missing children, human trafficking and more, according to the agency.
In an interview with HART, Baker said he first started working for the agency in 2005 and then started working as a truck driver. He later returned in 2012 and has been working there for the last 14 years.
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Social media users also applauded him. “You are a true hero, Miss Baker!” one woman wrote on Facebook.
“You are truly what we need more of: selfless, caring individuals who care about their community,” another said.
