A routine drive along Florida’s busy A1A highway turned into a split-second rescue after a Brevard County father spotted two toddlers wandering directly into oncoming traffic—a terrifying moment later captured on dashcam footage that has since gone viral.
John Brittingham, a father of five and grandfather, was driving southbound in Cocoa Beach on Sunday when he noticed two very young children dangerously close to the roadway.
One child had already stepped into the middle of the four-lane highway as vehicles approached from both directions.
Without hesitation, Brittingham pulled over, jumped out of his vehicle, and began waving his arms to alert drivers to slow down. Dashcam video from both the front and rear of his vehicle captured the chaotic scene as it unfolded in just seconds.
Brittingham rushed into the roadway and lifted the first toddler out of harm’s way, then turned to the second girl as she edged forward with her arms extended.
Holding both children, he quickly moved back toward the shoulder as traffic passed nearby, escaping danger by only a few seconds. According to Brittingham, the entire rescue took roughly six seconds.
“I was terrified thinking of what could have happened to them. The rest of my life would have been ruined,” he later told CBS Miami.
After getting the children to safety, Brittingham realized no parents were nearby. The girls, whom he estimated to be no older than two years old, were unable to communicate beyond pointing and simple sounds.
Unsure where they had come from, Brittingham began knocking on doors along a nearby residential street in an effort to locate their family.
His search eventually led him to a nearby Airbnb property. After knocking and calling out with no response, Brittingham discovered an open back gate, which he believes is how the toddlers escaped.
Inside the home were an elderly couple and a young woman, who appeared unaware the children had wandered off. Upon seeing the girls, the adults immediately apologized.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, I know, I’m just glad I could get them back to you. They were out in the road, and your gate was open,’” Brittingham recalled.
Despite the seriousness of the incident, Brittingham chose not to contact law enforcement, explaining that his priority was reuniting the children with their family as quickly as possible.
“My main concern was to reunite them,” he said.
After the adrenaline wore off, Brittingham reported feeling physically drained, adding that he developed a migraine later that day and remained exhausted, according to The Sun.
Local authorities later confirmed they were not initially notified. WESH 2 reported that Cocoa Beach Police said the incident did not fall under their jurisdiction, while the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office stated it received no calls related to the rescue.
In a follow-up update on Jan. 15, a sheriff’s office spokesperson confirmed that no criminal charges were filed in connection with the incident, Fox 35 Orlando noted.
The dashcam footage, later shared online, also drew attention to the behavior of nearby drivers, some of whom continued driving or honked as Brittingham ran into traffic.
Brittingham’s employer, a Florida-based drone company, criticized the lack of caution from passersby in a social media post, writing, “Y’all this could have turned out so tragic. Please always watch out. You never know.”
Brittingham and his wife, Karen, have since emphasized the importance of close child supervision and attentive driving.
Karen urged motorists to slow down and avoid distractions, warning that dangerous situations can develop without warning.
Brittingham echoed that sentiment, noting that “anything walking A1A is dangerous,” especially for young children who are unable to protect themselves.
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