Bus Driver Feels Something Is Wrong With Boy In Back — He Sees His Red Shoes And Realizes He's Kidnapped

Aug 27, 2020 by apost team

When a California bus driver named Tim Watson went to work on a sunny Friday morning back in 2015, he had no idea he would be hailed a hero by the end of the day.

A crying 3-year-old boy boarded a bus driven by Tim, and so his parental instincts kicked in. While crying children are a regular occurrence on public transportation, something seemed different about this little boy. About an hour later, Tim reported the incident to the police — and thank goodness he did.

Earlier that morning, Tim read an alert from the local police department about a 3-year-old boy who had been kidnapped by a 23-year-old man from Pittsburgh, according to CBS 6. Tim thought this little boy, and the man he was with, fit the description from the alert, but he needed a closer look to be sure. 

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Tim needed a way to get closer to the little boy without making the suspected kidnapper nervous. After pulling the bus over, Tim fabricated a story about a missing backpack. He walked up and down the aisle, pretending to look for a green backpack, as CBS 6 reports.

As soon as he got close to the boy, and saw his bright red Crocs, he knew this was the kidnapped boy. 

Instead of causing a commotion, which could put the boy's life in danger, Tim returned to his seat and discreetly radioed the police. Thanks to Tim's quick-thinking, the police were waiting at the next stop. The suspect was arrested, and the little boy was returned to his parents. 

After being informed that he had thwarted an attempted kidnapping, Tim Watson was visibly upset. He told reporters at CBS 6 that he couldn't help but imagine how he would feel if one of his own children went missing.

Watch the video below to hear more about this heroic rescue:

What would you do if you were in the bus driver's position? We'd love to hear your opinion, and we hope you'll spread the word about this amazing everyday hero.