California man saves baby moments before stroller rolls into traffic
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In surveillance video, a person is seen loading up a parked car when a stroller with a baby starts rolling towards a busy road.
PHOTO: A1 HAND CAR WASH
An ordinary day in the United States nearly turned tragic on Tuesday as a baby stroller rolled into traffic on a busy road in the city of Hesperia in southern California.
In surveillance video that captured the dramatic incident, a person is seen loading up a parked car when a stroller with a baby inside starts rolling towards the road.
The baby’s caregiver tries to stop the stroller, but trips and falls to the ground twice.
A man then comes running towards the stroller, and manages to intercept it before it meets oncoming traffic.
According to US media, the incident on Tuesday afternoon occurred in front of a car wash.
The man who saved the baby was identified as Mr Ron Nessman.
He had been sitting on a bench outside the car wash when he saw the woman fall down as she tried to catch the stroller, which was carrying her great-nephew.
According to ABC News, southern California experienced strong wind gusts on Tuesday.
“The wind was blowing so hard, by the time I got to it, it was at the top of the (car wash’s) driveway,” Mr Nessman told an ABC News station in Los Angeles. “I noticed the stroller was going towards traffic. I instinctively ran towards it, and got it before it went into traffic.”
Mr Nessman and his sister were at the right place at the right time.
He had just finished a job interview and the pair had decided to get their car washed.
After Mr Nessman saved the baby, he walked back to the baby’s caregiver and comforted her.
She was “traumatised”, he said, “that’s why I gave her a hug”.
“I have nephews and nieces, and I couldn’t imagine something like that happening,” he told US media.
Mr Nessman, who has been hailed a hero, was formerly homeless for about eight years.
He has been living with his sister for the past three months in an attempt to get his life back together after suffering depression from the death of his girlfriend.
Mr Nessman said he hopes his good deed is a sign of a better future, and that this incident will remind people to always double-check that the wheels on their strollers are locked.
