Police arrested a 35-year-old mom after a viral video showed a toddler falling out of a moving car into traffic. The incident, which happened in Southern California, sparked outrage on the internet after the footage surfaced earlier this week. Jacqueline Hernandez has since posted bail, but faces serious charges, while her 19-month-old had to be treated.
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Viral Video Shows Moment Baby Fell From Moving Vehicle
It’s still unclear what happened inside the moving car that caused the front passenger door to suddenly swing open. But once it did, the young boy immediately tumbled onto the road and rolled a bit before attempting to sit up. The video shows the SUV immediately stopping, causing the car behind it and another beside it to brake. Then, a woman hops out, grabs the child from the road, gets back into the car and pulls off. We’ve since learned that the incident happened more than a week ago on Jan. 20 at the intersection of N. Euclid Street and W. Malvern Avenue in Southern California.
As mentioned, the short clip riled up viewers on social media, who called for the mother’s arrest and questioned why the toddler wasn’t secured in a car seat. According to the California Highway Patrol website, state law requires children under two years old to be in a rear-facing seat and allows exceptions for certain weight and height limits. However, all children under 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat.
Witness Reported Mom To Southern California Police
According to ABC11, cops cuffed Jacqueline Hernandez on Saturday (January 24) on suspicion of child abuse. A witness named Natalie Quintanilla, per NBC Los Angeles, reached out to the Fullerton Police Department to report the incident that same day. Police moved quickly, using identifying information from Quintanilla to locate the car the baby fell from. ABC11 reports that cops found the 19-month-old, Hernandez, and the SUV at a home.
“I felt a mixture of emotions, anywhere from anger, to worry, to shock, because it’s something that could have easily been avoidable,” Quintanilla reportedly said Tuesday, per NBC.
The mom, Jacqueline, has since been released from police custody. She reportedly posted $100,000 bail on Tuesday (Jan. 27) at 1:30 a.m. Her charges are pending review by the Orange County district attorney’s office, according to NBC Los Angeles.
What’s The Update On The Baby?
The 19-month-old boy reportedly got treated at the hospital for injuries consistent with his fall, per Fullerton PD. He is expected to make a full recovery. It’s unclear if the toddler is back in his mom’s custody.
Jacqueline Hernandez’s neighbor, who chose to remain anonymous, defended the mom after her arrest. Speaking to NBC, the neighbor reportedly said that sometimes we “make mistake,” but they don’t anticipate something like that ever happening again.
“I can almost guarantee you there’s no way that will happen again with her. No way,” the neighbor said.
Jacqueline Hernandez has not yet made a public statement about the incident, and it’s unclear whether she has secured legal representation.
