Woman claims she was nearly hit by driver who left child in car

Woman says she called police after spotting boy in running car outside Walmart

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman claims she was nearly hit by a driver who left his child in a running car in a Walmart parking lot Monday. 

The woman, who only wished to be identified as Christy, told News4Jax on Wednesday that the father of the child was hostile when she confronted him, but if she hadn't waited for him, she felt the child could have been in serious danger. 

Christy said she called police Monday after noticing a young boy was left in the back seat of a car that was parked, with the keys still in the ignition, in the parking lot of the Walmart on Beach Boulevard at Hodges Boulevard. 

"I noticed somebody in the vehicle, a kid, I didn’t really know how old," Christy recounted. "I went shopping for about 30 minutes. I came outside and I saw a 6-year-old inside a vehicle."

Christy said, as a mother herself, she instantly felt something was wrong and felt the need to step in when she saw the boy alone in the car.

She said she asked a bystander for help. She said that person tapped on the car window and the child told them he was 6 years old. 

"He told me that he was hungry, thirsty and that he was scared. He didn't know where his parents were," Christy said. 

Christy called police, but before officers arrived, she said the boy's father walked out of Walmart and headed toward the car. 

"The gentleman came outside and he started screaming (to) get away from his vehicle," Christy said. "I asked him why he left his child in the vehicle, and he told me his stomach was hurting. (When) he came out with bags full of food, as a parent, I find that very unsettling."

According to Christy, the man got in his car, revved the engine and backed up, nearly running her over more than once.

At one point, she said, one of the tires brushed the side of her foot.

Christy said she hopes that was the last time the man leaves his son in the car. 

"I just want parents to know, don’t leave their children in the vehicle unattended, especially with the keys. You don’t know who's around," she said. "Somebody could have stolen the vehicle, being it was running with the child in it. It could have been a disaster."

A police report has been filed as an assault and dispute in the case. News4Jax requested the report from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office but had not yet received it as of Wednesday evening. 


About the Author:

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.