A toddler nearly ran into traffic after he was left alone at a mall playground in Florida. On June 15, 2025, the toddler’s mom was reportedly working “at a nearby store” at the Silver Sands Premium Outlets in Destin, Florida.
Her plan was to leave her 3-year-old son at the mall playground during her shift and keep an eye on him through the store’s window, the Miami Herald reported. However, the mom, 22, did not seem to notice when her son allegedly tried to run out into traffic.
A Walton County Sheriff’s Office news release said the toddler had been playing alone unsupervised for nearly two hours when a concerned bystander approached a deputy. Witnesses said they saw the toddler try to run out into traffic during that time. Luckily, a bystander saw the child and intervened.
“After trying unsuccessfully to locate the child’s parent, the good Samaritan brought the boy to Silver Sands security,” the news release stated. “Deputies made contact with security staff at the outlet mall’s security office, where the child was safe and being cared for.”
As deputies spoke to witnesses, the toddler’s mom appeared and wanted to know where her son was. The mom told officers that “she had been watching him through the store’s window while working.” But police pointed out she “was unaware that her son had been with a bystander for approximately 45 minutes.”
Additionally, she did not report her toddler missing. In the news release, the sheriff’s office also expressed concern about the high temperature that day. Police say that day was 88 degrees with a heat index of 101. In spite of the heat, the toddler was alone on a playground without food or water.
A Mary Esther woman was arrested Sunday after deputies discovered her three-year-old son had been left alone at a playground for nearly two hours in dangerously hot weather.
— Walton Co. Sheriff (@WCSOFL) June 16, 2025
At 1:11 p.m. on June 15, 2025, while patrolling Silver Sands Premium Outlets, a Walton County Sheriff’s… pic.twitter.com/Bd4hjomZY9
Sheriff Michael Adkinson praised the concerned citizens who stepped in and helped keep the child safe. At the same time, he emphasized that “this kind of situation is not only dangerous, it is unacceptable.”
The toddler’s mom faces a child neglect charge.
