On Saturday, March 22, sophomore Aidan Standard-Mojica, Track and Field runner and Varsity Football player for Castaic High School, heroically saved a distressed toddler that was left inside of a car at a Target parking lot in Thousand Oaks. Mojica had just finished his Track and Field meet against Oaks Christian School when he noticed a young girl frantically crying inside of a car with the parents nowhere in sight, instantly raising Mojica’s concern. It was around 80° Fahrenheit that day. However, the temperature in the car was significantly higher. According to the CDC, “temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open.” 

“I called my mom, asked her what to do,” stated Mojica. “At the time, my parents were in Las Vegas. So, I was kind of on my own. She just said, ‘call the cops,’ and I was like ‘okay.’”

He explained that the young toddler, around three years old, was hysterically crying, with snot running down her nose and very apparent sweat around her head. While planning his next steps, he attempted to communicate with the young girl through the window, but her inability to respond to his commands to open the door left Mojica to do the unthinkable: Breaking the car window.

“There was this person there that was a former lawyer and he informed me that there’s a citizens law that breaking a car window to save even a dog or a child is completely legal,” explains Mojica. 

The Good Samaritan State Laws are “designed to protect citizens from liability if they break into a vehicle to rescue a person or pet in distress,” according to kidsandcars.org. In California, Assembly Bill No. 2717 specifically states, “A person may take any reasonable steps that are necessary to remove a child from a motor vehicle if the person holds a reasonable belief that the child’s safety is in immediate danger from heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or other circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability, or death to the child.”

With the encouraging information, Mojica used his elbow to strike at the slightly opened driver’s side window.

“The first two times it didn’t break, I was like, ‘why am I doing this?,’” explained Mojica. “But, I knew at the time, like I was doing the right thing, [be]cause not doing anything isn’t an option.”

Although doubtful of his actions, Mojica successfully broke through the car window and rescued the suffering toddler from the car. About 20 minutes after calling 911, the Ventura County Sheriff, the Firefighters, and ambulance arrived on the scene. Mojica gave the toddler to the deputies, while other officers retrieved the mom from inside the store. 

“I’m kind of actually just hoping that the baby’s okay [now], because I’m not quite sure the whole situation… because the mom got arrested. I’m not quite sure the situation with where the baby is right now and her parents, and things like that.”

Mojica’s story soon spread around campus with teachers and students alike repeatedly calling him a hero. Deputy Salah, Castaic High School’s and Castaic Middle School’s Resource Deputy, expressed his admiration for Mojica’s extraordinary actions

“Given that he’s not a police officer or a deputy sheriff, he did tremendous. I mean, he literally didn’t care about breaking or fracturing his elbow or his arm or getting stab cuts from the glass,” stated Salah. “He did exactly what every regular person should do.”

“In my over, probably six and a half years of patrol, you’d be surprised how many people just see something and call and drive away or stay there and wait for us to get there, you know. Which, every single second in something like that really counts.”

When it comes to adolescents being met face to face with a similar situation, Deputy Salah recommends buying helpful tools, such as a seatbelt cutter and a window punch, or even learning the steps to first aid and CPR. 

“I’m pretty sure I got one of these in my own car, my glass punch, in case I have to break something,” stated Salah. “It can’t hurt to always look up ways to help somebody and help yourself.”

Mojica’s mother, Amber Mojica, explained that her son’s actions weren’t surprising to her at all. She has always raised him with the values of being a loving, forgiving, empathetic, and most importantly, a helpful person.

“When Aidan was little, before I would drop him off at school, I would always remind him to stand up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves,” explained his mother. “He really adopted those values, not because he was told, but because that’s who he is.”

“But it really made me think. What if he hadn’t been there? Would someone have done the same?…I truly believe God worked through Aidan that day. God placed him in the right place at the right time because He knew Aidan’s heart, and knew he would take action. So yes, as a mother, I am so proud of who Aidan is growing into and am so blessed to call him my son.” 

In the end, Mojica showcased what a true hero is.  

“I’m grateful that I stepped in, not for the attention, but simply because I wanted to.”

Mojica mic-drops by leaving his classmates with this striking piece of advice.

“Don’t be scared to act. It’s definitely better to act on something that you know is wrong because you can end up saving a life.”