‘Serious questions’: Child’s close call with truck after leaving childcare group caught on video

A Melbourne childcare centre is investigating after a child’s escape from a group excursion led to a shocking incident.

A Melbourne chilcare centre is investigating after chilling footage showed the moment a young child in its care narrowly escaped a potentially fatal encounter with a passing truck.

The child was filmed breaking free from a childcare group at the Grove Children’s Centre in Coburg during an excursion to a nearby park.

The heart-stopping CCTV filmed last Friday and obtained by7 News reveals a series of events that left many onlookers and parents deeply concerned for the child’s safety.

The incident happened last Friday. Picture: 7 News

Chilling CCTV footage shows the child breaking free from a childcare group during an excursion to a local park. Picture: 7 News

Reports suggest the child wandered alone through the streets of Coburg for several minutes, following an excursion led by childcare staff.

Alarming scenes captured on security cameras show the child dashing down an alleyway and coming to a halt perilously close to the road just as a truck roared by.

The timestamp on the footage reads 11.49am.

According to witnesses interviewed by 7 News, the child was in a state of distress until a concerned resident found and comforted him.

The boy’s reunion with the childcare group was reportedly captured in a subsequent video timestamped at 11.53am.

In the video, a woman, believed to be a staff member, is seen rushing down the same alleyway.

She swiftly approaches another woman pushing a pram, holding the missing child in her arms.

The child is safely handed over to her in a heartwrenching moment.

The child wandered alone through the streets of Coburg, narrowly avoiding a potentially fatal encounter with a passing truck. Picture: 7 News

Concerned residents found and comforted the distressed child, reuniting him with the childcare group. Picture: 7 News

A spokesperson from The Grove Children’s Centre provided a statement to 7 NEWS, expressing the centre’s deep concern over the incident.

“The welfare of our children is our paramount priority,” the spokesperson emphasised.

“The incident is under investigation, and we will work with the relevant authority in relation to our reporting obligations, and therefore will not be making any further statement at this time.”

Local residents who witnessed the young boy’s misadventure shared their thoughts on the matter.

Sophie Skliros, one of the residents who encountered the child, recounted to the broadcaster: “I was worried about him, I didn’t know who he was. I told him ‘Come here, I’ll take you to your house,’ and he ran away crying.”

Another local expressed their concerns, stating: “I think you’d have to be asking serious questions after that about who is at fault.

“Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but you should know where each child is if you’re taking care of them.”