Bus driver speaks about finding 5-year-old wandering alone in below-freezing weather
It all happened Tuesday morning at 5:30 a.m. when the temperature was below freezing.
Sun Metro bus driver Michael Christmas started his day as usual with a routine check up to ensure his passengers safety.
“On a daily basis you have to be ready for anything,” said Christmas.
But even with being ready for anything Christmas was still taken by surprise when he saw a young boy wandering the streets on the West side a little after 5 in the morning.
“I saw a little kid just walking by. I said ‘no this isn’t right’,” said Christmas.
Christmas quickly pulled over and talked to the boy.
“He had on some pajamas. It looked like a Halloween costume, he was barefoot and looked like he was scared,” Christmas told ABC-7.
The driver asked the boy what he was doing out so early in the morning.
“he said he was going to locate his mother at work,” said Christmas.
Christmas, a six-year Sun Metro bus driver tells ABC-7 the boy seemed confused when police were trying to get basic information from the boy.
“He looked like he was tired and he was shivering a bit,” said Christmas, He went on to say, “I was asking him questions about his family where he lived and he really couldn’t give the correct information. We even asked him his first name and we couldn’t understand what he saying.”
Christmas tells ABC-7 he’s a grandfather with grandchildren the same age. He was heart broken at the fact this child was out walking the streets alone.
“Mesa hills is a terrible street early in the morning. Nobody probably would of even seen him. He could of gotten hit by a car, somebody could of snatched him luckily I came-by,” said Christmas.
The District Attorney’s office said the case is now being handled by Child Protective Services.