BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A man accused of stealing a car with a one-year-old child inside told deputies he wouldn’t have taken the vehicle if he had known the baby was in the back seat.

The incident happened in a matter of seconds outside a convenience store in Brevard County, according to the sheriff’s office.

Surveillance video shows the child’s mother briefly left her vehicle running while she ran inside the Sunoco gas station on U.S. Highway 1.

Authorities said that’s when 53-year-old William Mullis jumped into the car and drove off — with the child still in the back seat. But moments later, the video shows Mullis quickly reversing course and returning the car to the scene.

According to an arrest affidavit, the mother confronted Mullis as he returned. He reportedly told her, “I wouldn’t have taken it if I knew,” and apologized before leaving the area.

“This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Tod Goodyear with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. “She’s very lucky that this guy saw the child in the car, had a case of remorse, and brought the car back with her child in it.”

Florida law prohibits leaving a child under the age of 6 unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes. While investigators believe the mother was only inside for a short time, Goodyear said the situation serves as a reminder that anything can happen in an instant.

“I have three kids and four grandkids,” Goodyear said. “It’s a pain to take the kids out of the car when you’re just running in for a second, but this reinforces that you never know what’s going to happen — or who’s watching.”

Mullis was later arrested and remains in jail without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court early next month.

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