A Massachusetts mailman is being praised for his heroics after rescuing a toddler who nearly walked into oncoming traffic on a busy street.

The U.S. Postal Service worker found the 3-year-old boy wandering around the Palmer Street area around 11:15 a.m. local time on Friday, according to theSalem Police Department.

The child, who only had socks on his feet, opened a door and escaped Salem Community Childcare on Congress Street around 10:45 a.m., police said in a news release.

Mouton said he ran over to the child and “scooped him up.” The boy was “shaking” and “shivering” when the postal worker picked him up.

“I was just in the right place at the right time," Moulton told reporters. “I did what I hope any other decent person would do — go and help the little kid.”

The postal worker kept the toddler safe while calling authorities about his discovery, according to the SPD. His parents were also notified about the incident.

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The child was eventually transported to the North Shore Medical Center “as a precaution.”

Martha Esquivel, the child’s mother, said she nearly fainted when she arrived at the hospital and saw police and a pastor standing with a doctor, according toFOX affiliate WFXT.

“When we went into the room, I saw a lot of people there, and I just started crying,” Esquivel recalled. “I found my son and he started crying… screaming, ‘Mommy, mommy.'"

Esquivel also claimed that surveillance footage showed her son was not being watched for more than 30 minutes and that he attempted to open the heavy door more than a dozen times.

The boy’s mom said she is “so thankful” that Moulton helped her son. “He was such a nice person to pay attention and call the police,” she told WFXT. “He pretty much saved my son’s life.”

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to the SPD. Officers have filed a report with the Department of Children and Families.

source: people.com