Barbers hailed as heroes for rescuing toddler from oncoming traffic
"We’re incredibly grateful for these everyday heroes among us!"
Two barbers in East Hartford, Connecticut are being hailed as heroes after they ran to save a young child who was walking on a street toward traffic on a busy intersection.
According to local police, barbers Osvaldo Lugo and Rafael Santana of LookSharp Barbershop were cutting hair when they noticed the child and ran to the toddler's aid.
"👏 Heroic Barbers to the Rescue! 👏 Today, we want to give a massive shoutout to the quick-thinking and brave duo, Osvaldo Lugo and Rafael Santana of LookSharp Barbershop. Their swift action saved a little toddler who had escaped from his mother and started moving towards traffic on Main Street," the East Hartford Police Department wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. "Thanks to them, a potential tragedy was averted, and a family remains whole. We're incredibly grateful for these everyday heroes among us! 💈🚸."
Lugo shared security camera footage of the incident, which took place near the corner of Brown Street and Main Street, in an Instagram reel. In the post's caption, he wrote that he was "still a little shaken up" by the "scary experience."
Lugo later told ABC New Haven affiliate WTNH he had happened to glance out the window while in the middle of a haircut and didn't think twice about rushing outside when he noticed the child. He managed to pick up the child before anything happened and said he was able to track down the child's mother, who hadn't realized they had wandered away, at a nearby bus stop.
"The mom lost track for one quick second. It happens. It's happened to me before," Lugo said.
He added, "The structure of this building and the bus stop, you can hardly see, so she was shocked and embarrassed at the same time, but also thankful."