Orange County mother arrested after viral video shows baby falling out of moving car

An Orange County woman was arrested on Monday after a now-viral video showed a baby falling out of a moving car last week. 

In a news release, Fullerton police said that they became aware of the video, which "depicts a small child falling from the passenger side of a moving vehicle at the intersection of N. Euclid St. and W. Malvern Ave."

As the car turns eastbound onto Malvern, the video shows the moment that the child falls from the ajar front passenger door and onto the street, the release said.

"An adult female is then seen running from the driver's side of the SUV, picking up the child, and returning to the vehicle before the video ends," Fullerton police said. 

On Saturday, police said that a witness came forward to report the incident. They provided identifying information to the car involved, which investigators followed up and identified the child's mother, the release said.

On Monday, officers successfully located the car, the child and the woman involved in the incident. The 19-month-old child sustained injuries in the fall and was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said, noting that they were expected to make a full recovery. 

"The female, identified as Jacqueline Hernandez, a 35-year-old resident of La Habra and the child's mother, was placed under arrest and booked at the Fullerton City Jail for felony child abuse," the release said. 

Investigators believe that the incident happened on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, between 8 and 9 a.m. 

As they continue to look into the incident, police ask anyone who may have witnessed the child's fall to contact them at (714) 738-6782.