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Toddler wanders away from Wesley Chapel Daycare Center

2-year-old is safe. Family calls neighboring worker who found him a "hero".
Credit: WTSP

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. -- It really could’ve ended a lot worse.

A two-year-old boy wandered away from a daycare center in Wesley Chapel over the weekend, but thankfully a nearby worker found him before the toddler, 2-year-old Reid Wagner, got hurt.

“We are definitely holding him tighter,” said Reid’s mother, Becky.

On Saturday, Wagner dropped Reid at the Kids Park daycare in Wesley Chapel.

But a short time later, as other children and parents came and went, Reid was somehow able to sneak through a security gate and out the front door.

“We’re trying to determine how long he was out for. We’re guessing about 20 to 30 minutes,” said Wagner.

Fortunately, Dana De Bernardi, who works at a nearby Ashley furniture store, had just taken a break.

“Something made me go back outside,” she said.

When she did, she spotted the toddler, red-faced, no shoes, and wandering alone just feet away from a busy roadway.

“My mom instincts just kind of kicked in and I just lunged for him and I picked him up.,” said De Bernardi.

As best De Bernardi could tell, Reid had wandered around the back of the furniture store, walking along a steep embankment that drops down to a creek.

“And there is wildlife, I’m assuming - alligators, snakes. And then I-75 is right there,” she said.

According to records, this is the first time anything like this has ever happened at Kids Park, and the owner, Amanda Justus, promises it will be the last.

“I’m a mom before a business owner,” said Justus, “And I’m looking into this as if what would I want to see changed - and that’s what we’re doing.”

Justus says on Monday they were planning to have a key-pad security system installed, as well as a second locked child gate. They’re also moving items around to minimize foot traffic near the front door.

Staffers have been posted near the front door until the new safety measures are complete. They’re also reviewing video of the incident to see if any other precautions need to be taken.

“Thank God that he is okay and we are learning from this,” said Justus.

“I want every other child safe,” said Wagner. “I hope this is a huge eye-opener for this daycare and every other daycare that it could potentially happen to.”

The Wagner’s say they’re just glad Reid is okay.

On Monday, they delivered a cake, flowers, and balloons to De Bernardi - thankful that she was in the right place at the right time.

“We will be forever grateful,” said Wagner. “She’s considered family to us now. She is our hero.”

“I don’t consider myself a hero,” said De Bernardi. “I hope that anybody would’ve done it. You know? I’m a mom.”

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