A mom living in New York City has issued a PSA for other parents on TikTok, warning them to stay alert while walking with their children on the streets. The woman, who appeared visibly shaken by what she experienced, said a stranger had allegedly attempted to kick her young son as she pushed his stroller home from CVS. “Thank God I was paying attention. I wasn’t on my phone,” she said.
She explained that she had just bought her son a pumpkin-shaped container for Halloween candy, and he had been happily playing with it in his stroller. As they made their way home, she said the man, who she believed was homeless, suddenly appeared and came dangerously close to her child. “This homeless man comes out of nowhere and comes up to my stroller literally and goes like that,” she said, demonstrating a kicking motion in the video. “Literally right at his face. Thank God he had the pumpkin thing over him.”
Others Came to Her Aid
Reacting instinctively, she pulled the stroller back and moved to the side, screaming in shock. Nearby, a construction worker immediately rushed to intervene. “He literally went after this man and was like, ‘What is wrong with you?’” she recalled. The woman also said another bystander came over to check on her and her son, asking if they were okay. “Like, what is wrong with people?… let this be your sign to always be so hyper aware when you’re walking around,” she said. “Because people are actually insane in this world.”
Netizens React to the New York Mom’s Frightening Encounter
In the comments under the TikTok post, many people expressed concern about the state of safety in New York City. “NYC is disgusting right now,” one person wrote. A second said, “Sweetheart. Take your baby and move out of the city. It is not safe for children. Imagine if he had actually made contact with him. 🫶🏻” A third added, “I hate walking around with my kids. We literally dodge people.”
Some users, however, pointed out that such incidents are not new. “A lot of you don’t realize NY has always been this way, you just have social media to see it now,” one comment read. Another echoed the sentiment, writing, “Everyone in these comments acting like the homeless people in NY haven’t been acting like this since FOREVER.”
