Video of Toddler Falling Out of Moving Car Leads to Mom's Arrest

A California mother faces a felony child abuse charge after a video showed her 19-month-old child falling out of her moving car when she turned onto an intersection, according to police.

The video went viral on social media, leading to an investigation, the Fullerton Police Department said in a Monday, January 26, news release.

Footage shared by the department shows the toddler falling out of the passenger side door of an SUV and into a busy roadway in Fullerton, located in Orange County.

“The SUV immediately stops, nearly causing a traffic collision with the vehicle behind it,” police said. The driver behind the SUV is seen braking immediately, with the toddler directly in front of their car.

After the SUV stopped, the video shows a woman exiting the vehicle, scooping up the child “and returning to the vehicle before the video ends,” according to police.

A witness who saw the near collision, which authorities believe happened on January 20, spoke with police on Saturday, January 24, resulting in the arrest of Jacqueline Hernandez, police said.

Hernandez, 35, the toddler’s mother, was arrested at her La Habra home on a child abuse charge, according to police. She was detained at the Fullerton City Jail.

Information on whether she retained legal representation was not immediately available.

Officers learned Hernandez’s child was hurt from falling out of her car, police said. The toddler was treated for their injuries at a hospital.

“The child is expected to make a full recovery,” police said.

It is unclear how the 19-month-old fell out of Hernandez’s car.

“The Fullerton Police Department did not receive any calls for service related to this incident and is seeking additional witnesses,” police said. “This remains an ongoing investigation.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises that children should be secured in a car seat “as long as possible” to “maximize safety.”

The federal agency recommends that babies from birth, up to three years of age, should be kept in a rear-facing car seat.

“Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer,” the agency says online. “Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a [forward-facing] car seat with a harness and tether.”

Children who have outgrown their forward-facing car seat are recommended to have a booster seat while remaining in the backseat of a vehicle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For children between the ages of 8 and 12, the agency says: “Remember: your child should still ride in the back seat because it’s safer there.”

The Fullerton Police Department asks anyone who might have information on the incident involving Hernandez’s toddler falling out of her SUV to call Detective H. Rios, with the department’s Sensitive Crimes Unit, at 714-738-6782 or email them at hrios@fullertonpd.org.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or online.

Fullerton is about a 25-mile drive southeast from Los Angeles.