In the TikTok viral video, Marissa Phiffer, the mom of the 3-year-old twins Aiden and Aleiya, shared her story of her terrifying moment.
What was supposed to be a quick, family nap turned frightening for the mom of two.
Phiffer told TODAY that she awoke next to the twins’ cribs after sleeping on the floor when Aiden was nowhere to be seen.
“He was not in the house. He was not in the basement. He was not in the front yard or the backyard,” Phiffer said in her TikTok video.
That’s when Phiffer immediately called 911 to report him missing.
“I really started to get nervous when he wasn’t in our neighbor’s yard. I thought that’s where I’d find him,” Phiffer said. “They have a bunch of rocks and he likes to line them up and play with them.”
When police arrived, they instantly showed Phiffer a photograph of Aiden safe and sound at the McDonald’s across the street from their Wisconsin home.
According to the report, a good Samaritan had alerted officials of the child wandering around by himself.
But as to why Aiden ran off to McDonald’s all alone?
“I was hungry.”
Phiffer told TODAY about Aiden’s love for McDonald’s and how he will wake up from a deep sleep when she pulls through the drive-thru.
Since that terrifying moment, Phiffer has installed child-proof safety locks and latches on all her door.
Other moms shared their own stories on her TikTok video of similar things happening to their own children.
“When my son was 3 he got money from my purse, got in his battery car, and took off down the road on shoulder headed to donut shop. Scariest thing ever,” a TikTok user wrote.
Another user said, “My friend’s little boy knows how to unlock the door, I was babysitting and he got out in the 2 minutes I went to the bathroom!”
One user even wrote, “I want to send Aiden a McDonald’s gift certificate! I’m so glad he’s safe! He is a brave boy!”
