A mother in Georgia has been charged after a video showing her preteen son in the trunk of a moving car went viral.
Diana Denise Shaffer, 36, of Duluth, was charged with reckless conduct and a seat belt violation after video showed her 12-year-old son riding in the trunk of a gray Dodge sedan.
The boy appeared to be sitting next to a large object.
Police later said in a news release that the item in question was a baby bassinet that Shaffer purchased through an ad on an online marketplace.
Troopers said the boy had been sitting in the trunk to help stabilize the object.
Diana Denise Shaffer, 36, of Duluth, was charged with reckless conduct and seat belt violation.
The mother was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on Tuesday. Her son was placed in the temporary custody of a family member until her mother bonded out Wednesday morning.
Officials said someone reported the video to police on Sunday.
On Monday, they said the Flock Safety System video surveillance tool caught the car driving through Duluth.
A detective was then able to identify the registered owner of the vehicle and meet her the next day at her home.
It’s unclear why Shaffer thought it was a good or safe idea for his son to travel like this in his trunk.
The video that ultimately got her arrested appears to have been taken by a fellow driver, who was shocked to see what they were seeing on the road.
Online, the video has racked up at least hundreds of thousands of views and generated countless reactions to the seemingly extravagant parenting on display.
An Instagram user, responding to the video when it was posted on an account called ATLSCOOP wrote: “I’m calling CPS and the police. Got the tag number.”
While it is unclear if that user’s report was the one that notified authorities about the incident, police said it was someone who saw the video that caught police attention.
Police eventually determined that the child had been sitting in the trunk to help stabilize a bassinet his mother had purchased.
Shaffermother was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on Tuesday. Her son was placed in the temporary custody of a family member until her mother was freed.
Another viewer wrote, addressing Shaffer directly: ‘Like what took over your mind to think this was okay, like who TF DOES THAT.’ I’m sorry that shit made me angry considering I’M A MOMMY…Whoever she is, she doesn’t need kids and this is a prime example of why.
‘This is legit, not fun. This is not OK. That baby’s safety is 100% at risk and I would be worried about her home life. I really hope they are safe,” another concerned viewer wrote.
A fourth individual lashed out at the person who took the video, arguing that they could have intervened: ‘Instead of recording, why not block it to get the kid out of the trunk or something, but record yourself as messy as the DATS driver?’ MY OPINION.’
