Thanks to Thomas’s heroic act, the child was saved.

But barely a moment later, the mother arrived — furious. Instead of thanking Thomas, she yelled at him for breaking her car window, claiming she had been gone “just a minute.” The police were called. But the doctor stepped in to defend Thomas and revealed that surveillance cameras told a different story: the baby had been left alone for 19 minutes in the sweltering heat.

The mother was charged with child endangerment and received a hefty fine.

The story spread quickly. Thomas was hailed as a hero. Many strangers offered to pay for the broken window or even offer him a job.