In a distressing incident, an Oklahoma mother’s “literal worst nightmare” came true as her 5-year-old son was left at the incorrect stop by his school bus driver in scorching 105-degree heat.
Kelly Mullholland, the concerned mother, took to TikTok to share doorbell footage capturing her son’s plight. The video shows the young boy approaching a stranger’s house, ringing their doorbell, and earnestly asking for assistance.
“Will you help me find my mommy?” the boy’s plea is heard on the Ring footage.
This incident marked the young boy’s first time riding a school bus, his mother revealed. The video has garnered over 4 million views, and in it, Mullholland recounts the exact moment when she realized that her son, along with another 5-year-old companion, had been left at the wrong stop.
“Almost an hour after they’re supposed to be dropped off I finally see the bus, so I get out of my car to walk to the corner of the street to meet it,” she starts off.
@kellymulholland95 A parents worst nightmare. part 2 is up. #bluecollarmom #publicschool #busnightmare #busdriversoftiktok #missingchildren #kindergarten #whatifthiswasyourchild #ringdoorbell #appleairtag ♬ original sound – Kelly Mulholland
“The bus driver opened the door and the first things out of his mouth were ‘Oh, are you supposed to have kids on this bus?’ Full. Panic. Mode,” Mullholland frantically says.
Upon Mullholland’s inquiry about the whereabouts of her son and the accompanying 5-year-old, who happens to be her boyfriend’s daughter, the bus driver was unable to provide a precise response.
In her state of worry, as she pondered the fate of her young son, Mullholland recounted in the video that an older child from the bus intervened, revealing that they recalled the two youngsters getting off at the previous stop.
TikTok
Mullholland mentioned that the older child could only offer vague directions like “down on the corner, down there,” accompanied by gestures indicating the vicinity.
Without delay, Mullholland swiftly returned to her car and sped towards the location indicated by the older child. Simultaneously, she contacted her boyfriend and urged him to investigate the situation at the children’s school.
Despite her initial efforts of scouring the area, Mullholland couldn’t locate the kids.
TikTok
“So, I go back to my car to get my phone to call my boyfriend, and a car pulls up alongside of me and asks if I’m looking for two kids,” Mullholland says.
“He [the neighbor in the area] told me what streets and I race over there to find that they’re no longer there,” she said.
In a miraculous turn of events and aided by concerned neighbors in the vicinity, Mullholland recounts how “we finally find them at a house over a half mile from where we live, as well as a half mile from where they were dropped off at.”
According to the Daily Mail, the children had been outside, aimlessly exploring the vicinity for more than an hour in the blistering 105-degree heat.
In response to the viral video, a person expressed, “This is inexcusable. I’m so glad they are safe.”
Another individual remarked, “The crying ‘Would you help me find my mommy’ absolutely sent me into tears. The fear in his little voice.”
A third person chimed in with their perspective, stating, “I’m a school bus driver. We are not allowed to let a kindergarten or 1st grade child off without a parent at the stop”