A California mother is facing felony child abuse charges after video showed her 19-month-old son falling out of her moving car as it turned into an intersection, police say.
The the video went viral on social mediathat led to an investigation, the Fullerton Police Department said in a news release Monday, Jan. 26.
Footage shared by the department shows the child falling through the passenger side door of an SUV and onto a busy road in Fullerton, located in Orange County.
“The SUV immediately comes to a stop, nearly causing a traffic collision with the vehicle behind it,” police said. The driver behind the SUV is seen immediately braking, with the child directly in front of his car.
After the SUV stopped, the video shows a woman getting out of the vehicle, grabbing the child “and getting back into the vehicle before the video ends,” according to police.
A witness who saw the near collision, which authorities believe happened on January 20, spoke to police on Saturday, January 24, leading to the arrest of Jacqueline Hernandezsaid the police.
Hernandez, 35, the boy’s mother, was arrested at her home in La Habra on a charge of child abuse, according to police. She was booked into the Fullerton City Jail.
Information on whether he retained legal representation was not immediately available.
Officers learned Hernandez’s son was injured when he fell from his car, police said. The boy was treated for his injuries at a hospital.
“The boy is expected to make a full recovery,” police said.
It’s unclear how the 19-month-old fell out of Hernandez’s car.
“The Fullerton Police Department did not receive a call for service related to this incident and is seeking additional witnesses,” police said. “This remains an ongoing investigation.”
The National Traffic Safety Administration advises that children be secured in a car seat “as long as possible” to “maximize safety”.
The federal agency recommends that babies from birth to three years of age should be kept in a rear-facing car seat.
“Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the maximum height or weight limit allowed by the manufacturer of your car seat,” the agency says online. “Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a (forward-facing) car seat with a harness and tether.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it is recommended that children who have outgrown their forward-facing car seat have a booster seat while remaining in the back seat of a vehicle.
For children ages 8 to 12, the agency says, “Remember: Your child should still ride in the back seat because it’s safer there.”
The Fullerton Police Department is asking anyone with information about the incident in which Hernandez’s child fell from her SUV to call Detective H. Rios, with the department’s Serious Crimes Unit, at 714-738-6782 or email hrios@fullertonpd.org.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or online.
Fullerton is about a 25-mile drive southeast of Los Angeles.