Dashcam Video Captures Sheriff's Deputy Rescue Boy, 2, From Oregon Highway

A sheriff's deputy rescued a 2-year-old boy from an Oregon highway after spotting the toddler running down the middle of the dark roadway.

Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Gautney was driving on U.S. 101 in the coastal city of Newport on Jan. 9, when he noticed the boy running towards his patrol car, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said.

Dashcam video shows Gautney's vehicle coming to stop before the officer quickly exists his patrol car and scoops up the toddler.

A tractor-trailer on the oncoming lane zooms passed them seconds later, the video shows.

"Shortly after removing the child from the highway, Deputy Gautney was alerted to the child’s frantic parents who were searching for him," Lincoln County Sheriff's Office spokesman Deputy Rene Lopez said in a press release. "The child was returned to them unharmed."

According to Lopez, the family said the boy escaped during a gathering at a nearby community center. The incident was determined to be accidental and no charges were filed.

The sheriff’s office said it released the video "not to ridicule or question those involved” but as a warning to the "danger and potential result of of distracted driving."

"Refrain from texting, cell phone use and other distractions in your vehicle while in motion, as dangers present themselves when least expected," Lopez said.

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