Construction Workers Find 2-Year-Old Wandering Alone For Second Time In A Week

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GLASSPORT (KDKA) -- A mother is in jail after construction workers found her 2-year-old child wandering alone in Glassport.

Just before 9 a.m., several construction workers, including Angel Santana and Scott Joseph, spotted a 2-year-old boy wandering down the street at the intersection of Third Street and Ohio Avenue.

"Pretty much the rest of the guys on the job side stopped and went into protection mode and I ended up calling the police and telling them where the intersection was," Joseph said.

Hours later, the child's mother, 24-year-old Phoenix Jacko, came up to them.

"She asked Scott here, 'Did you see a kid running around?' And Scott said, 'Yeah, we did, about three-and-a-half hours ago,'" Santana said. "We told her, if you want the child, call the police department."

Jacko called 911 and was told her son was at the Glassport Police Station.

"The mother told us she had been sleeping and didn't know her son got out," Glassport Police Assistant Chief Shawn Deverse said.

"I can see your dog gets out of the yard and you go looking for him, but not your 2-year-old son," Joseph said.

There were three other children in the house with Jacko -- her 9-year-old daughter and two kids she was babysitting. Her 2-year-old and 9-year-old were taken away by the Office of Children, Youth and Families. The others were turned over to their parents.

Santana and Joseph said they previously spotted the 2-year-old out alone on Monday, but Jacko showed up within minutes that day.

Jacko is in the Allegheny County Jail, facing charges of endangering the welfare of a child.