Woman passing by spotted toddlers crying in a car outside Atlanta mall— one phone call changed their fate
A bystander near the Cumberland Mall in Cobb County, Georgia, is being applauded for her thoughtful observation and response, per TODAY. The woman spotted two toddlers crying frantically in a car and decided to intervene just in time to save their lives. The Cobb County Police Department shared footage of how things unfolded. What could have turned into something drastically terrifying was averted, thanks to the woman and the officers. People are commending the stranger for becoming an angel in disguise to two youngsters at the nick of time.
The woman was in the area when she spotted a little girl and a boy crying inside a vehicle. As she approached them and inspected further, she knew she had to get help to prevent any chance of disaster. She immediately called 911 and told the officers that there were two children locked inside a car. "The windows are cracked, but I don't think that's right," she explained. She also noted that the kids were young, one being about a year old and the other, just two years old. Within moments of her call, the police officers arrived on the scene with sirens and more help to assess the situation and make a life-saving rescue.
The footage captured the officers making their way to the car. As they approached the vehicle, they saw two other people trying to help get the kids out, but in vain. It also mentioned the temperature at the time, which was around 87 degrees, adding that it would have been around 117 degrees in an internal setting like the car. The officers arrived and quickly broke open one front window to unlock the car. Then they opened the door of the rear seat, unstrapped the kids from their seatbelts, and soothed them by promising they were fine.
The kids felt overly hot and were starting to feel the brunt of the heat and suffocation inside the car. “He was kind of panting,” the woman remarked of the boy. The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office revealed that a man named J’Quawn Dixon was arrested for the incident. The alert woman received a shout-out from the officers for being vigilant and making the call on time. The security guard noted that the man had left the kids in the car at around 12:34 pm, and by the time the woman spotted the kids and the officers intervened, they had been in there for nearly 40 minutes.
Had it not been for this good Samaritan, the kids would have likely suffered a horrible consequence of another’s action. “But first, a big thank you to the concerned citizens who called 911. Your quick action is the reason these kids are safe today. You saw something and did something, and that made all the difference,” the caption read. People also shared their praise and appreciation. Diana Tetrault wrote, “Thank you to the citizens who reported this immediately and for staying with those precious babies.” Sandra Spinks Richardson added, “Only quick action by citizens and police saved these kids and all by the grace of God. Thank you.”