Dramatic footage shows hero bus driver saving young child wandering on busy Fla. street

A vigilant bus driver is being honored for her quick response after she noticed a young child, bare feet and all, wandering by himself in the bustling streets of Florida.

Barbara Baker, a driver and a grandmother, paused her bus on Route 12 in Tampa shortly after 7 a.m. on August 31 to assist the child, who was in pajamas, as seen in video footage shared by the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) on Wednesday.

“Oh my God,” Baker exclaimed in the video captured from within the bus. “Look at the baby out there by himself.”

She promptly halted the bus and rushed out to the child.

“Come here, baby,” she called to the little boy, who had moved to the roadside by this time, and picked him up.

As the boy couldn’t explain where he lived, Baker took him back aboard the bus.

“Give me one second, please,” she asked her passengers as she contacted HART operations and awaited the police.

“Mama,” the boy is heard saying in the video.

His age remains undetermined.

Baker comforted him while holding him on her hip, offering soothing words as they awaited assistance.

Within 20 minutes, local police managed to locate the boy’s mother after checking houses in the vicinity. The family lived just 2½ blocks away from where the boy was found, according to HART.

In a follow-up interview with HART, Baker shared that her “heart dropped” upon seeing the child in the street.

“When the police arrived, I almost felt like crying because I thought of my grandchildren, and I was just like, ‘Oh, cars are passing, and no one is helping this baby in the road,’” she recounted.

Her “heart dropped” as soon as she saw the boy in the street.

Baker expressed that just thinking about the incident makes her emotional.

“But the fact that the baby is back home — that’s incredibly important to me,” she remarked.

In a post on Facebook, HART praised Baker, stating, “Transit workers do more than drive — they protect the community every step of the way.”

In a statement, HART’s CEO, Scott Drainville, commended Baker’s bravery, saying, “Operator Baker’s attentiveness and courage exemplify the dedication and compassion that defines our team.”

Employees are instructed to remain alert and “situationally aware” concerning missing children, human trafficking, and other issues as part of their training, according to the agency.

Baker shared that she first joined the agency in 2005, took a break to drive trucks, and returned in 2012, serving with them for the last 14 years.

Social media users voiced their admiration for her actions. “You’re a true hero, Ms. Baker!” one individual commented on Facebook.

“You exemplify the caring, selfless individuals we need more of in our communities,” said another supporter.