LAKEWOOD - A baby who left his house and crawled across a busy street got out by "accident," a woman at the property said Monday.

The photo that shows the 10-month-old boy, on all fours, crawling across Joe Parker Road in Lakewood has gone viral and created a media firestorm. A motorist took the photo after he spotted the baby while he was driving to work on Saturday.

"It was an accident," a woman at the home where the baby lived told an Asbury Park Press reporter who knocked on the door. While not opening the door, the woman thanked the reporter for the opportunity to comment, but added that she was busy taking care of the baby and couldn't talk.

Lakewood baby case: A look back at accidents involving children

The incident came to the public's attention when Cory M. Cannon, 41, of Eatontown said he was driving to work after 5 p.m. Saturday when he spotted something in the street.

"I thought it was a toy or something until (the baby) moved," he wrote in a message to the Asbury Park Press. "I knew I needed to get some sort of proof and my GPS was open on my phone, so I used my work vehicle to slow down traffic behind me and took the pic as I was exiting the vehicle and halting oncoming cars."

He said he called Lakewood police after finding the baby and gave them the address.

Police confirmed the incident, and as of Monday morning, said no arrests have been made.

READ: Mantoloking police chase driver for miles

Lakewood Police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith said the investigation revealed the infant may have left through a door that was left open by an older sibling, and that the family was unaware he had left until a neighbor returned him.

Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles said state child welfare workers had been in contact with the baby's family.

"Anytime you have a child that’s endangered they get involved to make sure the child is safe," Coles said. The police investigation is also ongoing, Staffordsmith said.

The speed limit on the road, which connects to Lanes Mill Road on both ends, is 40 mph.

Cannon said a neighbor came out to the street at the same time he did before police came. He followed the neighbor back to the baby's house. A young child answered the door, which was ajar, he said.

"I believe (the baby) crawled right out of the front door," Cannon said.

Neighbors and friends of the family whose child crawled across the street said the child's parents are amazing, devoted people who made a mistake. The two individuals spoke with the Asbury Park Press on the condition of anonymity.

“It’s devastating what people are saying on social media,” she said, adding that the family is always at the park playing with their children. “I’m personally destroyed by this because I know the family.”

A man at the neighboring home on Grandview Drive, which intersects with Joe Parker Road, said he’s a member of various community agencies and has seen tragedies of all kinds in Lakewood.

“We are all people of means,” he said. “If we felt there was a problem with the family, we would have gotten them the help they needed. We are a community that takes care of each other.”

READ: Man wearing women's underwear commits lewd act at senior community

MORE:Lakewood records 14 traffic accident deaths in 2017, sharp increase from 2016

By Sunday evening, Cannon's photo and Facebook post about the baby had gone viral, garnering more than 500 comments and over 2,000 shares.

Some Facebook commenters expressed horror, shock and thanks to Cannon for acting. Other commenters attacked him for taking a photo before running to the baby's aid. Other Facebook users said they had similar experiences to his own.

The family's neighbor said it’s disheartening to see so many people judging the baby's parents when they don’t know the facts.

“If I didn’t know them personally, I wouldn’t know what to say,” she said. “But the things people are saying are awful.”

News crews surrounded the family's home on Monday morning.

Cannon, who has a 4-month-old daughter and multiple nieces and nephews, said he was shocked by the ordeal.

Crime:Howell Police need help IDing vehicle in hit-and-run crash

Afterward, "I couldn’t wait to see my daughter and give her a big bear hug," he said.

It is difficult to gauge how much time it would take a 10-month-old to crawl 20 feet, because, experts say, all children progress differently. But to get an idea, an 8-month-old won a diaper derby by crawling 20 feet in 10.71 seconds, while the second place finisher, an 11-month-old, finished in 46 seconds.

In recent years, similar emergencies have prompted a swift reaction from Lakewood’s active volunteer emergency services organizations and the township government.

Coles, the mayor, said as had happened in the past he expected a strong community response to the viral image.

“It’s a community issue and we’ll all try to … do something,” Coles said.

Posters reminding parents to check the backseat of their vehicles — a response to several children being left in hot cars in recent years — are up at businesses around town. And earlier this year, Lakewood’s government and emergency services agencies teamed with the community groups again to distribute cards with pedestrian safety tips, from looking both ways before crossing a street to wearing reflective clothing.

The fast-growing township, which is the fifth-largest municipality in the state with more than 102,000 residents, saw a sharp uptick in deadly crashes on its roads in 2017, prompting county and state authorities to announce a traffic safety initiative.

Lakewood:Schools halt religious-themed textbook order, but cites NJ approval

Caged dog left to drown:Appeals court sets suspect free pending trial

Amanda Oglesby: @OglesbyAPP; 732-557-5701; aoglesby@gannettnj.com

Kala Kachmar: @NewsQuip; 732-643-4061; kkachmar@gannettnj.com