Dashcam footage captures moment 'child' appears on dark highway

Dashcam footage captured the moment the child-like figure appeared on the road. Photo / Mitch Kuhne, Facebook

Eerie dashcam footage of what is believed to be a young child standing in the middle of a Sydney highway at night has been shared to social media.

Mitch Kuhne was driving back to the Gold Coast along the Hume Highway near Bardia just before 8pm on Sunday when he claims to have spotted a small child standing on the road.

Dashcam footage of the incident shows what appears to be a child-like figure wearing a big jacket or wrapped in a blanket standing in the middle of one of the lanes. The figure appears to step towards the car as it passes.

Dashcam footage captured the moment the child-like figure appeared on the road. Photo / Mitch Kuhne, Facebook

Kuhne said he was unable to stop as he was towing a toy hauler and said it would have caused an accident. His mother, who was sitting in the passenger seat, immediately called Triple Zero and reported what they had seen. The call was reportedly placed at 7.41pm (AEST), according to the Daily Mail.

Kuhne said they were told by police that they were "putting patrols out immediately".

Less than an hour later at 8.29pm, Kuhne called Macquarie Fields Police Station to offer his dashcam footage but said he was told the child had been found

"I called the local station after realising the dash cam would have footage and called to see where I could send it to help them so they know what it is we saw and could pin point the location," he wrote on Facebook.

"I was told on the phone by the officer that there is no need to send it as the child had been collected safely and was on its way home.

"I felt absolutely sick when all this happened I instantly felt so much better when I was told the kid had been collected."

However, NSW Police have since told the Daily Mail that no child was found, despite officers searching the area until 3.45am on Monday.

Kuhne was shocked by this revelation, writing on Facebook: "To see that they are claiming I was never told [the child was found] makes me sick as I have the exact time and station I called on record!"