Quick-Thinking Samaritan Helps Save Boy with Autism Who'd Wandered Away from Home
A local hero came to the rescue last Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee, when he discovered a missing child in an abandoned house.
The boy, who has autism, had been reported missing earlier that morning, according to local authorities. Around 7:30 a.m. his mother woke up to find that her child was not in the apartment. She quickly called the police, WREG-TV reported.
The boy had walked across the neighborhood and found his way into the open crawl space of a nearby house in Central Gardens.
It was around this time that James Hubbard appeared on the scene, noticing the boy on the third floor of the home.
Hubbard told WREG that he could tell something was wrong.
“He looked like he needed some help, and he looked like he was scared,” Hubbard said.
The child claimed to be “working” when Hubbard asked him what he was doing up on the third floor. Hubbard, who knew that the house was undergoing renovations, asked the boy if his father was with him.
When the boy stopped responding, Hubbard tried to gain access to the house but found all the doors locked.
At this point, Hubbard called the police and waited below for their arrival.
In the meantime, he used the Nextdoor app to see if he could glean more information from his neighbors and, sure enough, the local community had already been alerted to the situation and was looking for details about the missing boy.
Hubbard quickly responded, letting his neighbors know that the authorities were on their way.
The child was successfully reunited with his mother, as a result of this kind neighbor’s actions.
Hubbard told WREG that he believes it is important for neighbors to communicate.
“We’re a family. And so we all help one another,” he said.
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