For police Sgt. Anthony Mannino it was just another day on the job. But for one curious toddler, the quick thinking  actions of Mannino was likely the difference between life or death.

The Naperville Police Department says that the child escaped from his mother’s watchful eye and wandered along Route 59 as traffic sped past. “The kid just got out of the house,” Mannino reported. “Mom was in the house with the kid, and in a fleeting second, child ran out of the house.”

Mannino was on patrol when he spotted the child. He immediately pulled his car over to block one lane of traffic, ran after the child and scooped him up. You can hear him in the video soothing the child and telling him, “You’re okay.”

The child wasn’t injured in the incident and police say he lived nearby and was reunited with his mother. Mannino says when he first saw the moving object he thought it was a stray dog. When he realized it was a child, his parenting instincts kicked in.

“I have twin boys, and there’s not a day that goes by where something bad happens,” said Mannino. “You always think of your own kids.”

Mannino received a lifesaving award last week for his efforts, but Mannino says it was just part of the job. “I did what any of my peers would have done,” Mannino said. “Position that car, get out, and quickly corral that kid before something bad would have happened.”

Thank you Sgt. Mannino for your quick thinking. Check out the video below of the rescue and be sure to share this heroic act with your family and friends.

https://youtu.be/NXwyQ6Q4AEw