A couple allegedly left their 10-year-old child at an airport so they could catch their flight.
Guardia Civil, Spain’s national police, confirmed to USA Today the event occurred a few days ago at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport.
Officials said the boy could not board with his parents due to documentation errors.
The parents chose to board the flight anyway to avoid missing it.
Mossos d’Esquadra, the local police force, were first alerted and then contacted Guardia Civil.
Police briefly stopped the flight to locate the family.
When authorities found the parents, they escorted them off the plane and took them to a police station.
The child remained in police custody for his safety.
Mossos d’Esquadra told reporters the parents were reported for child abandonment.
Neither Guardia Civil nor Mossos d’Esquadra immediately replied to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The public first learned about the situation from a July 27 TikTok post by an airport employee named Lilian (@limasin41).
In the clip, translated from Spanish to English by the platform, Lilian says she works as an air coordinator.
“I am an air coordinator. As coordinator, I have seen a lot of things, but this has already been totally surreal.”
Lilian explained flight operations began as usual, but later she returned with paperwork and found the plane parked.
She went to the aircraft and encountered police officers.
Authorities told her the boy said his parents were returning to their country of origin after a vacation.
Lilian contacted the pilot, who informed passengers of the situation.
No one on board admitted responsibility, so Guardia Civil personnel boarded and removed the parents.
Per Lilian, the parents told police the boy’s passport from their country of origin had expired.
The child was traveling with a Spanish passport that lacked the necessary visa.
The parents called a relative to pick up the boy and then boarded the flight.
“For them, they saw it very normal obviously. I didn’t see it normal and the police didn’t see it normal either.”
After the parents were escorted to the station, the flight continued as planned, Lilian said.
Lilian, who is a mother herself, spoke about her reaction to the scene.
“I mean, I freak out as a mother. I remember when my little girl was little. I was losing it for a second.”