Macon Bus Driver Praised After Rescuing Two Young Children Found Alone in Separate Incidents

MACON, Ga. – A Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority bus operator is being recognized for helping two young children he spotted alone along busy roadways in separate incidents just nine months apart.

Bus operator Omari Frederick encountered the children while driving his regular fixed routes, first in November 2025 and again in August 2026. In both cases, Frederick stopped his bus and intervened because he feared the children could be injured if left alone.

The first incident happened around 7:15 a.m. on a cold, foggy morning in November 2025 while Frederick was driving inbound on the Pio Nono/Rocky Creek route.

Frederick initially noticed something in the middle of the road ahead of his bus and thought it was an animal. As he got closer, he realized it was a young child, approximately 3 or 4 years old.

Frederick checked his mirrors and positioned the bus at an angle in the roadway to create a protective barrier around the child. He then got out and called to the boy, who began running away.

Frederick caught up with the child and picked him up. The boy was barefoot and wearing thin pajamas that were soaking wet despite the cold weather.

Following transit authority protocol, Frederick contacted dispatch and brought the child onto the bus to keep him safe.

A short time later, Frederick noticed a barefoot woman who was also inadequately dressed for the weather running toward the bus. When Frederick opened the door, the woman took the child without speaking and headed back down the street.

Nine months later, Frederick encountered another child alone while driving outbound on the busy Vineville Avenue/Zebulon Road route.

At approximately 11:30 a.m. in August 2026, Frederick spotted a toddler wearing only a diaper standing on the sidewalk. An orange cat was beside the boy, but Frederick could not see an adult supervising him.

Frederick immediately pulled the bus to the side of the road and brought the toddler aboard.

The child was chewing on an acorn and holding another one in his hand. A female passenger helped by holding the boy while Frederick contacted dispatch.

Noticing that the child appeared hungry, Frederick gave him the only food he had available on the bus, a small bag of Funyuns.

A dispatch supervisor arrived and contacted the fixed-route supervisor for further instructions. Around that time, a woman carrying another child approached the bus and asked about her grandchild.

As the supervisor stepped off the bus to speak with the grandmother, a vehicle arrived. According to the transit authority’s account, a woman in the passenger seat took the toddler from the supervisor and the other child from the grandmother before the vehicle left the scene.

Frederick and the dispatch supervisor remained at the location until a sheriff’s deputy arrived. Frederick provided a statement to the deputy before resuming his route after a delay of nearly 20 minutes.

Several days later, Frederick was stopped at a traffic light on Napier Avenue when a vehicle pulled alongside his bus. The child’s grandmother and her companion thanked him for helping save her grandchild.

Frederick credited his previous experience driving buses in New York City with teaching him to remain aware of what is happening beyond the immediate roadway.

“For several years I drove a bus in Brooklyn and in New York City. I learned to constantly scan the area around my bus while driving,” Frederick said. “When I saw the children alone, I didn’t want anything to happen to them. I knew I couldn’t keep going.”

The Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority said its buses operate on Macon roads for 16 hours each weekday and 14 hours on Saturdays. Operators are expected to remain alert for crimes, safety concerns and other unusual circumstances they encounter along their routes.

The transit authority praised Frederick for his actions in both incidents, calling him a “hero” for stopping to protect the children.