Dashcam video shows the rescue and a search for the children’s parents near a short-term rental.
COCOA BEACH, Fla. — A Florida driver halted cars on State Road A1A and carried two toddlers out of moving traffic on Sunday in Brevard County, then walked the nearby neighborhood until he found their parents at a vacation rental, according to an interview shared Monday.
The rescue unfolded on a busy stretch of A1A, a coastal artery that sees steady beach and commuter traffic. The driver, identified as John Brittingham, said he spotted two young girls in the travel lanes and reacted in seconds. The encounter was recorded on his front and rear dash cameras. The case drew attention because local agencies said they received no calls about the incident and because the children’s parents were apparently unaware the girls had slipped through an open gate. The video and first-person account circulated Monday as officials confirmed the location was within Brevard County but outside Cocoa Beach police jurisdiction.
Brittingham said he was headed south when he saw the children in the road and pulled to the shoulder. He stepped into traffic with one arm up to stop approaching cars, then lifted one toddler from the center lane and reached for the second who was near the edge of the roadway. He estimated the entire dash into traffic lasted about six seconds. “I was terrified thinking of what could have happened to them,” Brittingham said in an on-camera interview, adding that the adrenaline spike left him exhausted later that day. Video from his vehicle shows the girls raising their arms as he approached before he carried them to the sidewalk and out of harm’s way.
After the rescue, he walked the immediate area with the children, looking for where they might have come from. He said the girls were about two years old or younger and were not able to answer questions beyond pointing and one-word sounds. He knocked on the door of a nearby short-term rental and circled the property while calling out. A rear gate stood open, he said, and when a family answered, they realized the children had slipped out. Brittingham said an older couple and a younger woman apologized. He told them he had removed the toddlers from the roadway and returned them. He did not call law enforcement, saying his priority was to reunite the children and ensure they were safe inside.
Traffic on A1A is a recurring concern for beachside communities in Brevard County, where pedestrian crashes and near-misses often spike during tourism peaks and fair weather weekends. The stretch includes multiple driveways, beach access points and short sight lines near curves. The video adds a rare, unfiltered view from the driver’s dash camera of how quickly a close call can develop on a multi-lane road. While Brittingham’s account filled many details, several points remained unclear Monday, including the exact street address of the open gate and whether anyone else saw the toddlers in the lanes before he stopped. No other injuries or crashes were reported from the incident.
Local agencies said they did not receive a report. A spokesperson for Cocoa Beach police said the location was outside the city’s jurisdiction. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said it had no calls on record tied to the video. Without a formal complaint, there were no immediate case numbers, citations or welfare checks listed. If a report is filed later, standard steps would include confirming the children’s ages, documenting the origin point and timeline, and determining whether neglect charges or safety referrals are warranted. As of Monday morning, the incident existed primarily as a documented rescue caught on camera and a neighborhood knock-and-return of the children to family members.
Neighbors described steady weekend traffic and frequent renters along the beachside blocks. Passing drivers in the video slowed as the man entered the roadway and waved them off. “He had them off the pavement in seconds,” one resident said after viewing the clip. Brittingham said he and his wife raised five children and now have grandchildren, which shaped his immediate decision to intervene. “I’m just glad I could get them back,” he said in the interview, recalling the open gate and the family’s apologies when they answered the door.
As of Monday afternoon, authorities had not opened a formal case file tied to the rescue, and no injuries had been reported. Any further steps would depend on a report to the sheriff’s office or another agency with jurisdiction and on confirming exactly where along A1A the children left the property. The next update is expected if a report is filed or if agencies release a statement identifying the location and the family involved.
Author note: Last updated January 13, 2026.