A toddler is now safe after a man found him wandering in a busy street near Mission on Saturday night.

The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office said the boy is now safe with his mom, and Child Protective Services is investigating.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to the area of Trosper Road near State Highway 107 Saturday shortly after 10 p.m. following a report of the child found alone in the area.

The child was found by Francisco De La Cruz.

“I just found a boy naked in the middle of the road,” De La Cruz said. “I put my emergency lights on, and they were about to run over him.”

The father of six said he was with his family on Saturday night driving to a relative’s house when he saw a little figure standing in the middle of the road.

“He was wearing a little red t-shirt with no diaper, so I instantly did a U-turn and drove head on with traffic, started blinking my emergency lights to make sure they knew something was going on,” De La Cruz said.

De La Cruz said he ran into the busy road to get the 2-year-old boy to safety. He said he was just at the right place at the right time.

“It's just the right thing to do according to what we learn from scripture,” De La Cruz said. “I am a firm believer, and I believe [Jesus] put me there for a reason, it was just the perfect timing."

De La Cruz said the boy also did not have any shoes on. A woman passing by stopped and gave him a diaper to cover up the toddler. 

Once the child was safe inside his truck, De La Cruz called 911 and posted a video on Facebook, hoping to find the child's parents.

The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office hasn’t said who was supposed to be looking after the 2-year-old boy that night. 

While the sheriff's office hasn't revealed the circumstances surrounding what happened with the boy that night, a spokesperson said it’s important for parents to lock their doors and fences to prevent something like this from happening again.

According to data from CPS, a total of 7,399 cases of neglectful supervision were reported across the Rio Grande Valley during the 2024 fiscal year.

No charges have been filed in this case, and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office said investigators will be interviewing the boy's mom on Tuesday.

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