‘He was in danger’: Mother of 3 shocked as passers-by ignore lost toddler who narrowly avoids van near Senja Road
A mother of three who encountered a toddler wandering alone in public with a heavily soiled diaper was shocked to see passers-by ignoring him, prompting her to urge others to be more vigilant and look out for those in distress.
Speaking to Stomp, Nur Sarah said she was on the way to Senja Hawker Centre with her three children on May 18 at around 6.40pm when she spotted a young boy in school uniform riding a scooter alone.
The 29-year-old who runs a home-based business, Z’s Tahu Begedilz, shared the encounter in an Instagram post the next day, saying no one had stopped to check on the child.
She was concerned, she said, because the child appeared far too young to be unsupervised in public.
According to Ms Sarah, the boy nearly got hit by a van while crossing the road at the entrance to the carpark.
“He was just shocked standing in the middle of the road. I ran and held him and my daughter helped carry his scooter to the pavement,” she added.
She tried asking the boy where his parents were, but he “wouldn’t answer properly”. Ms Sarah stayed with him and tried to keep him calm while calling the police, eventually accompanying him to a nearby bus stop.
There, she realised the child’s diaper was “completely full”.
“He looked so uncomfortable, tired, and lost,” she said in her post.
After police officers arrived and she explained the situation, she rushed home to grab diapers and wet wipes before changing the boy’s diaper at a nearby toilet.
Ms Sarah told Stomp that the police managed to contact the child’s father and she hopes the boy is safe.
It is unclear how the boy ended up alone.
Mother shocked when passers-by appear oblivious
Ms Sarah said what disturbed her most was how other adults appeared indifferent to the child’s situation.
Describing the incident as “upsetting and eye-opening”, she said many passers-by simply walked past even though the toddler was visibly alone.
“I had all three children with me and was able to be with him, but people with empty hands, causally jogging and smoking, never stopped to help,” she told Stomp.
“They assumed ‘he’ll be fine’. But he wasn’t fine. He was in danger. And one step away from something that could have turned tragic,” she added.
“We cannot afford to become a society that is too busy, too tired, or too desensitised to notice a child lost.”
Ms Sarah added that she felt compelled to share the experience online to raise awareness about “community vigilance, child safety, and most importantly, simply being human”.
The experience, she said, had affected her emotionally.
Netizen praise mother for kind act
The post, which garnered more than 7,800 likes, has since drawn praise from netizens, many of whom commended Ms Sarah for stepping in to help the child and applauded her “kind” and “loving” act.
“My heart sank when I read your story. Thank you for being so vigilant and kind and most importantly, sharing this,” one netizen wrote, while another said: “Bless you for stopping when so many others didn’t.”
Another agreed: “We need our community to keep our country a safe one indeed.”
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