Michigan toddler accidentally calls 911 on old Apple watch
HUDSONVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) — A bungled bedtime turned into a shock and a big laugh — and a lesson from a West Michigan couple to other busy parents of toddlers — when their toddler accidentally called 911.
Leon Hendrix and his wife Andrea Hendrix are expecting baby No. 3 this month. So that’s three boys in three and a half years: they have their hands full.
It was 9 p.m. on Monday. Andrea, who works from home, was on the clock in the basement. Her husband was relaxing on the phone with his sister. The boys were tucked into their beds in their newly shared bedroom.
The couple’s 3-year-old son Landon played with an old Mickey Mouse-themed Apple watch.
“That was one of the original series watches. I was like, ‘I haven’t used it and it’s probably not connected to a phone; what’s the harm in him looking at the Mickey Apple watch?'” Andrea said.
Inside the room was a baby monitor that records when it senses sound.
“I was listening, and I was like, ‘Wait, is that someone else talking?'” she said.
That’s when the couple realized their son had called 911.
“When we realized this happened, we were freaking out,” Leon said.
“The kids are on the Apple Watch calling 911; he’s like, ‘Oh, no,'” Andrea said. “When it was happening, I was like freaking out. Obviously, because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe he called ‘911.’ And I was like, ‘How long this has been going on for and are they on their way here?'”
The call was almost seven minutes long.
“We edited out the part where I charge into the room in my underwear,” laughed Leon. “The old newsman in me, the first thing you go to is, ‘Did we get that on video or was that recorded?’”
The day after the call, Landon still has the watch with Mickey on it. But it’s in airplane mode. The parents say they won’t let their boys play with the watch unattended again.
It’s a story for the baby book. The parents say they are grateful for the 911 dispatchers.
“We do sincerely apologize for making this mistake and taking their time; we couldn’t be more grateful for the dispatchers and what they do,” said Leon.
He shared the video on his Facebook page; it’s been making the rounds. Leon heard from the dispatcher, who said she loved seeing the boys as they waved goodbye at the Apple watch during the call.
It serves as a good reminder: Devices like phones and smartwatches you no longer can use can still have the capability to call 911.