Mom Arrested After 19-Month-Old Baby Flies Out of Car Onto the Road in the Middle of Intersection — and Miraculously Survives By Angel Saunders

A California woman has been arrested after video footage showed her infant flying from a moving vehicle and narrowly avoiding being run over by her SUV. 

Jacqueline Hernandez, 35, of La Habra, was arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse after her 19-month-old fell “from the passenger side of a moving vehicle,” the Fullerton Police Department said in a Monday, Jan. 26, press release.

Warning: Some viewers may find the following video disturbing.

Authorities believe the incident, which happened at the intersection of N. Euclid St. and W. Malvern Ave, occurred on Jan. 20, between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. local time. Police did not receive reports on the incident until a witness came forward on Jan. 24 and reported seeing what happened.

In the video, as a black SUV enters the intersection and completes a turn, the front passenger door opens and a small child falls to the ground and into the roadway.

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The video appears to show the child nearly being run over before the driver abruptly stops, jumps out of the vehicle, picks the child up and runs back to the driver’s seat and drives away.”

In addition to being almost run over by the car they were in, a light colored car driving behind the black SUV also almost hit the child after the mother narrowly missed. 

The driver of the second car slammed on the brakes while a yellow car behind it swerved to not hit the other cars.

“The witness was able to provide identifying information related to the vehicle involved. Officers conducted a follow-up investigation, which led them to a residence in the City of La Habra,” police said. “Officers located the vehicle, the child, and the female involved in the incident seen in the video.”

Police added that the baby sustained injuries consistent with the fall and was transported to an area hospital for treatment, but is expected to make a full recovery.

It is not immediately known if Hernandez has retained an attorney.

Under California law, children under 2 years of age “shall ride in a rear-facing car seat” unless the child is 40 pounds or more, or is 40 or more inches tall. “The child shall be secured in a manner that complies with the height and weight limits specified by the manufacturer of the car seat,” the California Highway Patrol site reads. Rear-facing seats should also never be placed in front of an active air bag. Children must also be seated in the back seat of a car until age 8.

This remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Fullerton Police Department’s Sensitive Crimes Unit, Detective H. Rios, at (714) 738-6782 or [email protected].

Tips can also be shared anonymously at Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS or visit www.p3tips.com/913.