father chases down moving train after leaving his baby alone on board to smoke a cigarette

Terrified father frantically bangs on the doors as he chases down a moving train after leaving his BABY on board when he jumped off to smoke a cigarette

• Parent placed his child carrier on seat then stepped outside to smoke a cigarette 
• Passenger banged on windows to alert father when the doors suddenly closed  
• Heart-pounding footage showed father chasing down train as it left station
• Luckily, driver reversed train and let parent on at Windermere Station in Cleveland, Ohio

This is the heart-stopping moment a panicking father sprints after a moving train after he left his baby alone on board to smoke a cigarette.

The passenger had stepped out onto the platform to light up when the doors suddenly closed, separating him from his child.

Dramatic CCTV footage showed the father chasing down the Rapid Transit train, shouting and banging desperately on the doors as it departed Windermere Station in Cleveland, Ohio, last month.

The parent had stepped out onto the platform to light up (left) when the train suddenly started to move. He sprints after the train (right) as it leaves Windermere Station in Cleveland

Another passenger alerted the driver, who quickly reversed course and safely reunited the baby with its father at the station.

The father was then accused of 'menacing' the female train operator - according to her police statement - but the allegation was not backed up by a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) investigation, Cleveland 19 News reported.

The security footage - which first surfaced on Monday - shows the father entering the train, carrying the child in a baby basket.

He sets it down on a seat and tucks the baby in before stepping out onto the platform - leaving it unattended.

The passenger runs to the doors and starts banging on the windows to tell the parent that the train is about to depart

RTA officials said neither the baby nor passengers were in any danger during the incident, but the driver was later 'coached' for not following communication procedures.

Viewers on social media blamed the father for the incident. Sandra Spokas asked: 'Is a cigarette that important?'

Andrew Wood said: 'Why would you leave your baby by itself on a public train? What the hell?' Kathleen O'Toole said: 'Shaking my head. Unbelievable.' Brenda Rose Edwards added: 'Maybe he'll quit smoking now.