A Georgia mother is behind bars after neighbors say they discovered her young son alone outside an apartment complex late at night, crying out for help.

Hailey Saunders, 23, was arrested and charged with cruelty to a child and reckless conduct following the incident at an apartment building in Mableton, according to authorities.

Neighbors told police they heard the 5-year-old boy screaming outside shortly before midnight on Sunday. Several residents rushed out to find the child alone and visibly distressed.

One neighbor said the boy was yelling so loudly that her “heart was about to pop out.” When she reached him, another neighbor had already come to his aid, and a third soon joined them.

According to witnesses, the child told them he had woken up to find his mother and younger sibling gone from the apartment, leaving him by himself. “He just woke up and his mommy was gone,” one neighbor recounted. “He was by himself and he was crying.”

The neighbors called 911 and tried to comfort the boy while waiting for help, giving him water and chips as they waited for authorities to arrive.

Police said first responders took about 40 minutes to reach the scene. At some point, the boy’s father arrived and took custody of the child.

Authorities say Saunders did not return to the apartment until around 2 a.m., hours after the child had been found alone outside. She was taken into custody and booked into the Cobb County Jail, where she is being held without bond.

Her next court date has not yet been announced.