A mother from Oklahoma recently experienced a terrifying ordeal when her 5-year-old son was mistakenly dropped off at the wrong bus stop in sweltering 105-degree heat. Kelly Mullholland, the boy’s mother, shared a video on TikTok that captured her son approaching a stranger’s house, ringing the doorbell, and asking for assistance to find his mother. The video, which has amassed over 4 million views, shows the young boy’s first experience riding a school bus.
In the video, Mullholland narrates the moment she realized her son and another 5-year-old child had been dropped off at the wrong location. She recalls waiting for the school bus, which arrived nearly an hour late. The bus driver’s first words to her were, “Oh, are you supposed to have kids on this bus?” which sent Mullholland into a state of panic.
When Mullholland inquired about the whereabouts of her son and the other child, the bus driver was unable to provide an answer. As she stood there, an older child on the bus chimed in, stating that they remembered seeing the two children disembark at the previous stop. The older child couldn’t provide an exact location but pointed in the general direction.
Mullholland immediately got back into her car and drove in the direction indicated by the older child. She also alerted her boyfriend to check the children’s school. Despite her efforts, the children were nowhere to be found. As she was about to call her boyfriend, a neighbor pulled up and asked if she was looking for two children.
The neighbor provided directions, but by the time Mullholland arrived, the children had moved on. Eventually, with the assistance of other neighbors, Mullholland located the children at a house over half a mile from their home and the incorrect bus stop. The children had been wandering in the heat for over an hour.
The incident sparked outrage and sympathy from viewers of the viral video. Many expressed relief that the children were safe, while others were moved to tears by the young boy’s plea for help. One viewer, a school bus driver, commented that they are not allowed to let a kindergarten or first-grade child off the bus without a parent present at the stop.