SAN JUAN – A Rio Grande Valley parent said she came across a small child running alone along a San Juan street Monday morning.

Rachel Molina, a mother of two, said she immediately took steps to get the child back to safety. She said she knows about the dangers of a child alone near a road as cars drive by.

Molina was running errands near the San Juan Basilica on Oblate Road when something caught her attention.

"I was heading south and I saw a little girl running and I saw a car next to her. They had their windows rolled down. They were trying to stop her. She didn't stop, she kept running," she said.

Molina said she maneuvered her truck in front of the child and offered to help.  The child had an IDEA school shirt on. That was an indication she ran four blocks from the school to the church.
 
 "She just looked scared. She looked scared. She was running. She wasn't looking back," Molina recalled.

The woman said the child did not know her mom's number, so she called 911. She said police showed up soon after.

Molina also offered advice for the child.

"I said, 'Next time you want to leave school, you better go to the front office and let them know. You can't just go out,'" she said.

Molina told CHANNEL 5 NEWS an IDEA school staff member arrived to pick up the child and brought her back safely to the school.

We reached out to IDEA Public Schools to ask about the incident. A spokesperson for the organization sent us the following statement:
 

"In an isolated incident, a student exited the campus. The school was notified and the student was immediately returned to the campus, and her parents were notified. All IDEA schools have procedures and protocols in place to help ensure the safety and supervision of our students. IDEA takes full responsibility for today's incident, and school leaders will meet with all campus staff to review and reinforce procedures."

CHANNEL FIVE NEWS also reached out to the 6-year-old's family. They did not want to comment.