Hong Kong  - A Hong Kong toddler caused a sensation after he crawled out of the window of his mother's sixth-floor apartment, police said Monday.

In a scene reminiscent of the 1994 film Baby's Day Out, the 18-month-old boy climbed out of the window via a cupboard Sunday afternoon while his mother was sleeping and then crawled out onto the laundry rack outside.

He was spotted by alarmed passers-by while he was sitting high above the street on the rack, which was attached to the window.

The police were called and pushed a nearby cart covered in canvas as a makeshift safety cushion, but at the same time, the boy's cries awoke his mother, who dragged him back inside.

The boy was taken to a medical centre suffering shock and bruises.

The mother was arrested for alleged neglect of a child and was later released on bail.

In the film Baby's Day Out, a baby escapes a pair of kidnappers and goes on a crawl-about in Chicago, avoiding injury in a series of near accidents, unlike the kidnappers in pursuit. (dpa)