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Baby crawls across New Jersey street in traffic in controversial viral photo

A man saw the baby while he was driving to work, called the police to return the infant. No arrests have been made regarding the incident.
Credit: Courtesy of Cory Cannon
A baby is shown crossing Joe Parker Road in Lakewood, New Jersey

An Eatontown man said he stopped traffic on Saturday when he saw something almost unbelievable — a baby crawling across Joe Parker Road in Lakewood.

Cory M. Cannon, 41, of Eatontown said he was driving to work after 5 p.m. Saturday when he spotted something in the street.

"I thought it was a toy or something until she moved," he wrote in a message to the Press. "I knew I needed to get some sort of proof and my GPS was open on my phone, so I used my work vehicle to slow down traffic behind me and took the pic as I was exiting the vehicle and halting oncoming cars."

He said he called Lakewood police after finding the baby and gave them the address.

Police confirmed the incident, and as of Monday morning, said no arrests have been made.

Lakewood Police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said the investigation revealed the infant may have left through a door that was left open by an older sibling, and that the family was unaware he had left until a neighbor returned him.

Child protective services were called and the investigation is still active, Staffordsmith said.

Many children are killed by vehicles as they walked alongside roads in New Jersey. Watch the video above to know what behaviors are the most dangerous.

Cannon said a neighbor came out to the street at the same time he did before police came. He followed the neighbor back to the girl's house. A young child answered the door, which was ajar, he said.

"I believe she crawled right out of the front door," Cannon said.

Cannon, who has a four-month-old daughter and multiple nieces and nephews, said he was shocked by the ordeal.

Afterward, "I couldn’t wait to see my daughter and give her a big bear hug," he said.

By Sunday evening, Cannon's photo and Facebook post about the baby had gone viral, garnering more than 500 comments and over 2,000 shares.

Some Facebook commenters expressed horror, shock and thanks to Cannon for acting. Other commenters attacked him for taking a photo before running to the baby's aid. Other Facebook users said they had similar experiences to his own.

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