A six-year-old boy was found wandering the streets at 3am after walking out of the front door unbeknown to his sleeping parents.
The young boy, who was in possession of a set of car keys, was spotted by Nikola James, who was on her way home after visiting a friend.
Nikola had been driving down St Levan Road in Plymouth when she saw the youngster, and immediately called police, Plymouth Live reports.
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed officers were able to trace the boy's parents, and took him to his nearby home where his parents were still unaware of his disappearance.
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It's believed that the boy had been able to exit his address via the front door, and on his way out swiped a set of car keys which he was found in possession of.
A spokesperson for the force said: "The parents were in absolute shock when they were alerted to where the boy was found."
Taking to social media, Nikola said she was a "believer that everything in life happens for a reason" as she explained how she normally would not drive that route home.
She wrote how she called police who "now have him safe and warm", adding "the possibilities of what could have happened make me sick to the pit of my stomach.
"An all too real life experience of how easy it is for tragedy to happen," Nikola added.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said that it was understood the boy had previously been able to depart from his home without his parents' knowledge and as a precaution Social Services had also been informed of the incident.
