Terrifying surveillance footage captured the hair-raising moment a toddler ran toward a busy intersection after breaking free from his parents.
The three-year-old and his mother were walking on the sidewalk in downtown Phoenix last month when the child suddenly dashed toward Lincoln Street and Grant Street.
The boy's mom desperately tried to catch up, but the impressively nimble toddler was far too quick on his feet.
Arizona Public Service (APS) worker Robert Butler spotted the child while he was driving home from work, according to AZ Family.
'As I get closer to him, I’m trying to find a good place to park my truck, jump out,' Butler told the outlet. 'Right before the little boy got to Lincoln, I was able to stop him.'
The unlikely hero managed to jump out of his truck just as the toddler was a step from the street.
Butler scooped the unidentified toddler up and reunited him with his panicked parent, who was screaming down the road.
The man said he wasn't driving his normal route that day, but was glad his detour meant a child's life was saved.
As a toddler went racing toward a busy intersection in downtown Phoenix, multiple strangers ran to his rescue
'Something that day put me in that spot and I was able to help, and I’m glad I was,' Butler said.
The events of that March 19 afternoon stayed with Butler, he told Fox10.
Butler told the outlet that an abandoned umbrella and wagon on the sidewalk tipped him off that something could be wrong.
'Thinking back on it now, I’m not sure if it was God or something was divine intervention,' the hero said.
'I don’t know, but there was something that day that was off from normal that just put me at the right place at the right time.'
According to the APS website, Butler works as a troubleman for the energy company, in a 'highly skilled, specialized' role in which Butler responds to emergency electrical issues.
As an emergency response technician and a parent himself, Butler said he understood the mom's panic and was more than happy to step in.
'I have a two-year-old son, and I know how fast kids can move once they get going and they’re on their mission,' he told APS. 'As a parent, I can definitely relate.'
Robert Butler saw the toddler while driving home from work and pulled over to save the child
Another APS worker, supervisor Kort Meyer, was on the scene that day and spotted the boy from a parking lot.
Panicked, Meyer tried to intervene but was stopped by a badge-only gate.
Regardless, the child was safe. Butler said this serves as a reminder to all parents and drivers to stay alert.
'A lot can change really, really fast, so just be aware of your surroundings and try and see the big picture,' he said.
The Daily Mail contacted Arizona Public Service for comment.