Barbara Baker, a driver and grandmother, stopped her bus on Route 12 in Tampa just after 7 a.m. on Aug. 31 to help the child, who was wearing pajamas, according to video posted by the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“Oh my God<\/a>,” Baker can be heard saying in video footage that was taken from inside the bus. “Look at the baby out there by himself.”\u00a0<\/p>\n PASTOR PRAYS FOR PIZZA DRIVER WHO DELIVERED WRONG ORDER, SPARKING VIRAL FUNDRAISER<\/a><\/p>\n She stopped the bus and hurried out its front door to help the child.<\/p>\n “Come here, baby,” she told the little boy<\/a> before scooping up the child, who by then had made his way to the side of the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n A young boy had walked more than two blocks from his home and was spotted by a veteran bus driver. (Courtesy Hillsborough Area Regional Transit)<\/p>\n The boy was unable to communicate where his home was, so Baker returned to the bus with him in her arms.<\/p>\n “Give me one second, please,” she told the passengers aboard her bus as she called HART operations and waited for the police<\/a> to come.<\/p>\n “Mama,” the boy can be heard saying in the video. His age was not immediately clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n Baker held him on her hip and continued to speak soothingly to him while they waited for help.<\/p>\n After knocking on doors in the neighborhood, police found the mother of the child within 20 minutes of the incident. The family lived 2\u00bd blocks away from where the child was found, according to HART.<\/p>\n Barbara Baker, a longtime bus driver, waited with the little boy in her arms until police arrived.\u00a0 (Courtesy Hillsborough Area Regional Transit)<\/p>\n In an interview with HART following the incident, Baker said her “heart dropped” as soon as she saw the boy in the street.<\/p>\n “When the police came, it’s like I almost wanted to cry because I thought about my grandbabies<\/a>, and I’m like, ‘Oh, cars [are] passing, and nobody is helping this baby in the road.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Her “heart dropped” as soon as she saw the boy in the street.\u00a0<\/p>\n Baker said that just recalling the incident made her emotional.\u00a0<\/p>\n “But knowing that the baby is home \u2014 that’s a big thing for me,” she said.<\/p>\n In the video posted on Facebook, HART lauded Baker, saying, “Transit workers<\/a> do more than drive \u2014 they safeguard the community every mile of the way.”<\/p>\n In an interview with HART, Baker said her “heart dropped” when she saw the little boy alone in the street. Social media users have been praising her for her quick thinking and actions.\u00a0 (Courtesy Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority)<\/p>\n In a statement, HART’s CEO, Scott Drainville, said, “Operator Baker\u2019s courage and attentiveness exemplify the dedication and heart that define our team.”<\/p>\n MORE FROM FOX NEWS LIFESTYLE<\/a><\/p>\n Operators are trained to stay vigilant and remain “situationally aware” for lost children<\/a>, human trafficking and more, according to the agency.<\/p>\n In the interview with HART, Baker said she first started working for the agency in 2005 before leaving to drive trucks. She then returned in 2012, working there for the last 14 years.<\/p>\n A longtime bus driver’s quick thinking and compassionate instincts toward a lost little boy have been praised by many. (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit)<\/p>\n Social media users joined in applauding her. “You’re a true hero<\/a>, Ms. Baker!” one woman wrote on Facebook.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/florida-boy-lost-busy-street-1.jpg\")
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