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Man rescues two toddlers wandering along busy Florida highway
A Florida man is being credited with saving two toddlers after spotting them wandering alone along a busy stretch of State Road A1A in Cocoa Beach.
COCOA BEACH, Fla. - John Brittingham was driving southbound on A1A Sunday afternoon in south Cocoa Beach when he saw two toddlers running onto the highway.
He immediately pulled off the highway and raced to save a stranger’s kids.
By the time he reached them, one little girl was already in the middle of the highway.
What they're saying:
Brittingham played Frogger on A1A, putting his own life in danger by trying to stop cars that were dangerously close to hitting him and the two small children.
"Your adrenaline goes through the roof, and you just don’t even think," said John Brittingham, who’s a father of five and has several grandchildren.
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After the kids were safe and off the road, the situation intensified. John had no idea where the parents were, and the kids couldn’t tell him where they came from.
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"Anything walking A1A is dangerous," he said. "Seeing two toddlers crossing the road by themselves was absolutely shocking. I just couldn’t believe it."
He approached the first house and thankfully reunited the kids with their family. John says the family had no idea the kids had escaped through an open back gate and ventured onto the highway.
"I was just about to call the cops, and I grabbed the doorknob and it opened. There was an elderly couple and a young woman sitting on the couch, and I’m like, ‘Hey, are you missing these?’" said John.
A warning for drivers
John’s wife, Karen, shared the dashcam on social media with a plea for drivers because many didn’t slow down even when John ran into the road.
"When he told me, ‘I just found two babies in the middle of A1A,’ that was the last thing that came to my mind," said John’s wife, Karen.
She wants drivers to slow down, stop texting, be aware. Never drive distracted.
What's next:
John didn’t call law enforcement when the situation happened because he found the children’s family fast. However, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) is still trying to learn more about how the kids ended up in danger in the first place.
Investigators were seen on Sunny Lane on Tuesday.
The Source: FOX 35 Reporter Esther Bower met with the couple on Jan. 13, 2026, where the incident happened in Cocoa Beach. She asked BCSO about the situation after seeing an agent on scene in the area.