A US man has sparked outrage and controversy online after posting a video of a baby left in the car while his mum shopped with her older son in a video game shop.
Manny Williams posted the video on his Facebook page (1,400,000 views and counting) to an onslaught of polarising opinion – with some saying he was out of line to get involved and others angrily declaring the woman was a ‘terrible mother’.
According to Manny the baby was left in the car for well over 20 minutes. Enraged by what he saw, he called to the mother over and over again, declaring his disgust at her actions
“She’d rather get a video game than be taking care of her baby that’s in the car by himself, crying, on this hot day,” he said in the video.
And it’s not only the mum who had drawn criticism. Many commenters wondered why Manny took so long to call the police – and although he says he called 911 before filming, according to KTVU police have said this is untrue.
“Honestly, I really don't care [about the criticism] because I know in my heart what I did, you know?” Manny then told KTVU. “And I'm going to get blessings from God one way or the other for doing the right thing. “I wasn't one of those people that you see just walk past and turn the other way or ignore it, 'it's not my problem.”
And what do the professionals have to say about the situation? “You listen to what he's saying – it sounds a little bit like he’s harassing her, but it probably would have been time better spent calling 911 and getting a professional there who could intervene and decide what to do about the situation,” said Janette Fennell, founder of child safety group kidsandcars.org told KUTV. “But you should never leave children alone in cars.”
The mum is reported to have told police that her air conditioning was on and she was only gone for a few minutes. Police are currently still investigating the case, and are set to make the decision whether the mum is to face criminal charges.
We’d love to hear where you stand on the story mums. Do you think Manny was right to intervene? Or do you think this has been blown out of proportion? Let us know!
