(CNN) -- A Milwaukee bus driver went above the call of duty when she stopped to save an unlikely would-be passenger: a baby.
Irena Ivic was driving on a freeway overpass when she spotted a barefoot baby, Milwaukee County Transit System spokesman Matt Sliker said. The baby, wearing a red onesie and a diaper, was quickly walking to an intersection.
"I'm just grateful I was in the right place at the right time," Ivic said at a commendation ceremony held in her honor on Thursday.
Ivic stopped the bus and ran out to scoop up the baby, as seen in a video released by the transit system. She carried the baby to the bus, where passengers gathered in disbelief.
"Oh my God. Oh my God. I am shaking," Ivic said in the video as she sat down in the driver's seat with the baby.
A passenger on the bus took off her winter coat and draped it around the baby girl, who was cold to the touch. The temperatures were freezing that day, on December 22, according to the transit system.
Ivic sat talking to the coat-swaddled baby, stroking her hair. The little one soon fell asleep in her arms, as seen in the video.
The 19-month-old had been cold and scared but was otherwise unharmed, police said.
The child went missing after officials believe the child's mother had a mental health crisis, the transit system release said. "Authorities eventually reunited the baby with its father," Sliker said.
This is the ninth time a lost or missing child has been found by a Milwaukee County Transit System driver in recent years, according to the release.
"I absolutely love kids. I used to be a teacher and I have children of my own, so I'm so happy I was able to help this sweet, innocent baby," Ivic said.
The-CNN-Wire
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