Toddler found wandering on road alone outside Punggol Coast Mall, family takes him to safety
A toddler was spotted wandering alone on the road outside Punggol Coast Mall by a family, who then took him to safety.
In a TikTok video uploaded by user @hyfasayf on Aug 16, dashcam footage showed a car exiting the Punggol Coast Mall carpark.
As the car turned out of the carpark and headed towards the mall’s entrance, a young child was spotted wandering alone across the road on a zebra crossing, directly in the car’s path.
The family in the car could be heard expressing shock before stopping the car. A man then got out, ran towards the child and carried him to safety.
The video has since amassed over 267,000 views and more than 450 comments.
Toddler returned to father
Speaking to Stomp, hyfasayf said the incident took place on August 15 at about 6pm when he was leaving the mall with his family.
Upon spotting the child alone on the road, they were alarmed and concerned for his safety and quickly moved to help him.
He added that his wife was also worried as the car behind them was very close, and they feared it might overtake them without seeing the child.
“I hurried after the toddler, managing to reach him before he stepped onto the main road, and carefully picked him up since there was a blind spot on the right side of the road obscuring our view,” hyfasayf said.
He said the child could not speak but appeared calm and held onto him tightly. Based on the child’s size and inability to communicate, hyfasayf assumed he was under two years old.
After signalling to the vehicles behind them, he carried the child to the nearby bus interchange in hopes of finding his parents. He said he asked around but was unable to locate anyone.
Hyfasayf then decided to walk further down and eventually spotted a man approaching. The child’s reaction confirmed to him that the man was his father.
“I approached the man and explained that his child was nearing the main road alone, which I found quite alarming and dangerous,” he noted.
He claimed that the father showed “no signs of concern or remorse”, took the child from him and said that “he was running too fast”.
“I felt disappointed by his reaction. Instead of expressing gratitude, he merely took his child and walked away without further acknowledgment,” said hyfasayf.
‘Thank you for saving him’: Netizens
Many netizens praised the family for staying alert and taking the child to safety.
One user noted that some drivers might not have spotted the child because he was so small, adding: “Thank you for saving him!”
Others described it as a “dangerous situation”, while another said their “heart skipped a beat” when they saw the child walking towards the main road.
“Glad you were quick thinking,” a commenter said.
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