Originally published 2022-02-13.
In late April 2017, 14-month-old Brandon Emery locked himself inside his mother's car outside a Lidl supermarket in Bude, Cornwall, and five firefighters had to smash a rear window to get him out. He was unhurt. What made the story travel around the world was Brandon himself: photos show him grinning, bouncing and playing at the wheel while the adults outside worked to reach him. His mother, Kirsty Green, shared the pictures on Facebook, and within days they were in newspapers far beyond Cornwall.
The pictures resurfaced on social media years later, often without a date or place. Here is what actually happened in the car park that day, why the firefighters waited before breaking the glass, and what any parent should do if a child gets locked in a car.
How a toddler locked himself in
It started with an ordinary shopping trip. Brandon kept trying to stand up in the trolley, so Kirsty put him in the car while she loaded the shopping into the boot. She set her keys down in the boot as she worked and closed it.
When she looked up, Brandon had climbed into the front and was playing with the steering wheel. As she walked round to the door, he pressed the central locking button, smiling at her through the window. With the keys shut in the boot, there was no way in.
It is a more common accident than many parents realise. Toddlers love buttons, and the central lock is usually within easy reach of the driver's seat. Many cars also lock the boot along with the doors, so a key left in the boot is as good as gone.
Five firefighters and one very happy baby
Other shoppers came over to help. A woman and her mother who had seen what happened phoned the fire service, and a crew from Bude Community Fire Station arrived within minutes.
The firefighters did not want to break a window straight away; glass and a small child are a bad mix, and a car can be repaired more cheaply without one. While they worked out the safest approach, Brandon treated the whole thing as a show put on for his benefit. He laughed, waved, bounced on the seat and perched by the steering wheel, apparently delighted with the crowd of people in bright uniforms gathered around him.
The mood changed when Brandon found a coin in the car and put it in his mouth. Coins are a real choking hazard for toddlers, and that was the point at which Kirsty told the crew to go ahead. The firefighters smashed a rear window, climbed through and lifted Brandon out safely.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Kirsty said the car could be fixed but her son could not be replaced, and she joked that he had clearly been traumatised by the ordeal, given how much fun he seemed to be having.
Why the photos went viral
The appeal is easy to see. Rescue stories usually come with tension and tears, and here was a baby who looked like he was hosting a party. The firefighters played along, entertaining Brandon through the glass, and afterwards they posed for a cheerful selfie with him.
Kirsty thanked the crew warmly, saying that the firefighters were keeping Brandon entertained and he was making them laugh just as much in return. The photos, credited to her Facebook account, were picked up by British papers and then by outlets such as CBS News in the United States in early May 2017.
When the images were shared again in later years they were often presented as new. The rescue itself was in 2017, in Bude on the north coast of Cornwall.
A smiling child can still be in danger
Brandon's laughter makes the story charming, but it should not make the situation look harmless. A toddler cannot judge risk, and a calm expression says nothing about how safe they are. In this case the obvious hazard was the coin. On a warm day the bigger danger would have been heat.
The inside of a closed car warms up far faster than the air outside, even on a mild, sunny day, and young children overheat much more quickly than adults because of their size and their limited ability to cool down. Every year, children around the world die after being left or becoming trapped in hot vehicles. Bude in late April is not tropical, which bought everyone time; on a summer afternoon the firefighters would almost certainly have broken in at once.
What to do if a child is locked in a car
If it happens to you, these steps help:
- Call the emergency services straight away. In the UK that is 999; firefighters are trained and equipped for this and would rather come early than late.
- Try the simple options while you wait. Check every door and the boot, and if there is a spare key someone can bring quickly, ask for it. Some roadside recovery services can also open cars, though they may take longer to arrive.
- Keep the child calm and engaged. Talk, smile and play through the window, as the firefighters did with Brandon. A relaxed child is less likely to get upset or try something risky.
- Watch for warning signs. Heat, distress, flushed skin, lethargy, vomiting or anything in the child's mouth are reasons to break in immediately. If you have to break a window yourself, choose one furthest from the child.
- Prevent it next time. Keep the keys on you rather than putting them down in the boot or on a seat, and put the child in last, just before you get in yourself.
The real heroes of the car park
The best part of this story is how many people helped. Shoppers stepped in without being asked, a stranger made the call, and the Bude crew managed to solve the problem while keeping a 14-month-old entertained. Brandon will not remember any of it, but his family has the photographs, and so does half the internet.
Sources: CBS News, 2 May 2017: Toddler locks himself inside car, laughs as 5 firefighters try to free him; 3LStories: Firemen save kid from locked car.
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