OILDALE, Calif. (KERO) — A store owner's quick action helped bring a young child to safety after the boy was spotted running through a busy intersection alone.
Security camera video from the EZ Stop captured the moment a young boy, wearing only a diaper, ran through the intersection at Roberts Lane and Oildale Drive early Tuesday morning.
Raine Morales, a cashier at the corner store, described the situation.
"Zigzagging through the traffic. There were stopped cars; not one person even tried to attempt to get out of the car to take care of this baby that had no shoes on, no clothes," Morales said.
According to Morales, the child entered the store while the owner was logging merchandise. The owner, who did not want to be identified by name, noticed the child was out of place and worked to keep him inside the store and entertained until Kern County Sheriff's deputies arrived to pick up the boy.
"Gave him some toys to play with. Didn't feed him anything, but gave him all the little candy toys. Just kept them occupied until the police showed up," Morales said.
Morales described how the owner prioritized the child over store business.
"He put everything on hold. We had vendors here trying to do their orders, and he was just like, do you not see me with the child right now? Like I can't be scanning candy, and he just did the right thing," Morales said.
It remains unclear how the boy ended up alone on the streets of Oildale. It is also uncertain whether the boy has been returned to his family or caretaker. 23ABC reached out to the Kern County Sheriff's Office to learn more about the situation, but had not heard back as of the time of this report.
Staff at the EZ Stop say the situation is a powerful reminder for the community to speak up when something doesn't look right.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
