It was just after midnight when Mike Hubbard, on his usual bus route, noticed a mysterious shape wriggling on the road up ahead.
At first he thought the ghostly figure might be a dog, but as he approached, the San Antonio driver realised it was a baby wearing just a nappy.
Close call: Bus driver Mike Hubbard sees something up ahead in the middle of the road and as he gets closer he realises it's a baby
Stunned: Mr Hubbard jumps out of the driver's seat and rushes over to the wide-eyed baby
Mr Hubbard stopped just in time to avoid running over the infant.
'I was definitely in shock,' Mr Hubbard told local news station WOAI-TV.
'From a distance I can't tell exactly what it is. It looks like a dog, something moving around, I can't really tell what it was. I started slowing down and then I noticed it's a baby in the middle of the street.'
After slamming on the brakes, Mr Hubbard immediately jumped out of his seat to investigate.
'To me he looked like he was eight months old with a pamper, just sitting there. I couldn't tell if he was eating something or not. But, his eyes got real big when he saw the big old bus in front of him,' Mr Hubbard said.
Then strangely, as the driver checked to see if the baby was alright, the child's father suddenly emerged, scooped up the infant and ran off.
The horrifying moment was captured by a camera on the dashboard of the bus.
Scroll down to watch the video
Out of the blue: Then in a matter of seconds, the child's father runs over and scoops up the baby
Hero: The VIA bus driver is humble about his quick-thinking actions. He's just thankful that no one was hurt
Although the incident happened last May, video footage of the moment has only just emerged for use as evidence in a current child custody case.
The lucky baby is in fact a girl, identified as Destiny Flores, now aged two.
The local bus company VIA, which services San Antonio - the second largest city in the U.S. south central state of Texas - reported the incident to child protective services.
Destiny's mother Catherine Gonzalez, 25, and her husband are now fighting to retain custody of all three daughters.
The couple said they were in the living room when they heard a horn and the loud screeching sound of the bus braking suddenly.
Mrs Gonzalez insisted that they had no idea Destiny had escaped from the house.
Lucky girl: The baby has recently been identified as Destiny Flores, who is now aged two
Custody battle: A tearful Catherine Gonzalez tells local news network WOAI-TV that she and her husband had no idea Destiny had escaped from the house
'We had the door open, but there's a screen door. I had the lock on it, but I don't know, maybe I didn't put it all the way and she just snuck out. I really can't even tell you,' she told WOAI-TV.
'It was an accident, that's all it was. It could happen to anybody in the world, you know,' she said through tears.
'It was just an accident, that's all it was. It's not like we weren't paying attention, you know. I could have swore all my kids were in the back watching TV and they were doing fine. It was just the biggest accident and it hurts me.'
But what horrifies Mrs Gonzalez more is thought of what could have happened to her daughter.
Mr Hubbard has been hailed a hero, but the humble bus driver says he is just grateful he was able to stop in time.
Texas child protective services will decide in a few weeks if the girls will be allowed to stay with their parents. ( dailymail.co.uk )
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