Strangers Rescue Kids from Burning Car While Mom was Shoplifting

OVIEDO, FL - Three children were rescued from a burning car outside an Oviedo, Florida, Dillard’s store while their mother was allegedly shoplifting inside, according to police.

Witnesses pulled the children from the vehicle as flames engulfed it. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but the car was completely destroyed. Body camera footage captured one witness describing the children’s soot-covered noses, evidence they had been inside the vehicle during the fire.

Police identified the mother as Alicia Moore, 26, who reportedly spent an hour shoplifting with a male companion. According to a probable cause affidavit, Moore exited the store to find her car in flames, dropping stolen merchandise as she ran outside. Witnesses had already rescued the children from the fire.

Paramedics transported the children to the hospital. One child suffered first-degree burns to her face and ears but survived. The cause of the fire remains unclear.

Moore was arrested and charged with aggravated child neglect and shoplifting. She pleaded guilty to neglect charges in August and received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.