Video: Florida boy found at Chick-fil-A after escaping home

Child walks to Chick-fil-A by himself

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released video sharing the story of a 5-year-old boy who wandered to Chick-fil-A by himself earlier this summer after getting out of his family's home and squeezing through the front gate.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 5-year-old Florida boy's fast food adventure is getting attention on social media after officers put out a video showing him enjoying breakfast with workers at Chick-fil-A, where the child had wandered alone earlier this summer.

The backstory:

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, officers got an unusual call on the morning of June 24, 2025, saying that a child had walked into Chick-fil-A on San Jose Blvd. by himself.

Body camera video posted by JSO shows the boy telling officers he lives "across the street" before asking "are you going to get me in jail?"

Courtesy: Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

The officers then gave the boy a ride back to his family's house as he gave them directions.

Investigators noticed that the home was "the most secure house on that block" with a fence surrounding the property.

Courtesy: Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

After talking with the boy's parents, officers found that he had unlocked the front door and squeezed through the gate.

"It’s kind of scary actually, because we didn’t realize what was going on until after we came out," the boy's mother said.

The child's father described the talk he had with his son afterward.

"I think it did shake him up some," he said. "So, I don't think we really needed to, you know, impress too much that he shouldn't do it again."

Dig deeper:

Weeks later, the sheriff's office reunited the boy with the officers who drove him home that morning. Fittingly, the reunion took place at the same Chick-fil-A, with the child's parents in tow this time.

Courtesy: Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

JSO also talked about the importance of safety measures to keep children from wandering away.

"To be clear: William’s parents are not in any trouble. They had several safety measures in place. But this is a good reminder to teach kids their home address, parents’ names, and a phone number. It could make a big difference in an emergency," the sheriff's office wrote in its social media post.