Hero police officer honoured after saving toddler who ran into busy highway traffic

The officer blocked a lane of traffic to save the child

A police sergeant is being lauded as a hero after stopping traffic just outside of Chicago and saving the life of a toddler who had slipped away from his mother’s watchful eye.

Video from a dash cam of the incident shows the officer approach the small child running in the right side lane of a busy road in the Chicago suburbs, before the officer stops the car and gets out. He then runs alongside the road to the child, before calming him down and saving him from potentially wandering into the road.

“You’re ok. You’re ok,” the officer can be heard telling the child after picking him up.

The sergeant, Anthony Mannino, was celebrated on the Facebook page for the Naperville Police Department.

“Last month, this youngster escaped his mother's watchful eye, left his house and was found by Sgt. Anthony Mannino running on Route 59!” a post alongside the video reads.

“Luckily, no one was hurt, and we attribute that to Sgt. Mannino's observation while on patrol and quick reaction, placing his squad car and himself between the child and traffic,” the post continued.

“On June 7, Sgt. Mannino was presented the department's Life Saving Award. Well done, Sergeant.”