Newly released footage shows the harrowing moment a father from Cleveland, Ohio had to chase down a train after leaving his baby onboard when he walked outside to smoke a cigarette.
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority released the January 12 footage showing an RTA train riding away from Louis Stokes/Windermere station in East Cleveland just before 10:40 am. The video first shows the unnamed man on the train holding a carseat with a baby inside it. The dad checks on the baby several times before leaving the train to smoke a cigarette.
As he smoked with another passenger, someone on the train banged on the window to try and alert him that the train would be leaving soon. By the time the dad reached the door, it had already closed and the train was pulling away. The father frantically ran after the train as it pulled away while someone onboard alerted the conductor about what was happening.
“Operations staff and Transit Police responded and followed protocol to quickly return the train safely to the Windermere station platform to reunite the father with the baby,” a GCRTA spokesperson said in a statement. “Trains can travel from the Superior Station to Windermere within a minute. All safety precautions were followed by rail personnel and the operator.”
“All safety precautions were followed by rail staff and the operator in order to return the train to the Windermere Station,” the spokesperson continued. “At no time were passengers or the baby in any danger.”
Watch the disturbing video for yourself below.
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