Toddler rescued from near-freezing conditions after wandering away from daycare

'He was barely dressed, out there riding this little scooter in the middle of the street'

A two-year-old boy was rescued on Monday from near-freezing conditions in Ohio after he wandered away from his daycare.

The toddler, who lives in Sandusky, escaped from his daycare on his toy bike, riding off into a nearby street. A man passing by spotted the child at the side of the road and called the police.

News5 Cleveland reported that Patrolman David West of the Sandusky Police Department found the child shoeless and shivering when he arrived at the scene. The passerby waited with the child until the police arrived.

“I really couldn’t believe it … He was barely dressed, out there riding this little scooter in the middle of the street,” Mr West said. “The man who stopped stayed with the child, and he’s waving to the other car to slow down, showing him what we’ve got over here, and the car did slow down and stop. So kudos to the caller.”

The boy slipped away from an in-home daycare, where the woman running the business was tending to seven children, including the boy. Police had to go door-to-door to locate the child’s daycare. Mr West said the house did have deadbolts, but they were at a height easily accessible to toddlers. Child protective services were called to the scene.

“We tried to explain to her maybe some child proofing, door knob covers, if she’s watching more than one kid maybe get an alarm on the door, so if the door opens there is a beeping sound,” Mr West said.

The woman running the daycare was charged with child endangerment. She pleaded not guilty in court. It is the fourth time in less than five years that police have been called to the woman’s house to respond to incidents involving children she is watching.