A young boy with autism was found by police near mangroves in Glendene, west Auckland, after he went missing on Friday afternoon. His mother reported him missing around 12:30 p.m. when he disappeared from their home.
A neighbor had seen the boy walking toward an area of bush that leads to an estuary. "Time became critical, given high tide was coming in a few hours, so we had Eagle (the police helicopter unit) overhead searching the water," said Acting Inspector Nick Salter from Waitematā West Police.
An air search crew was able to spot the boy within minutes of initiating the search. Ground crews were directed to his location, where he had fallen in the mangroves. Officers then made their way through the mangroves to reach him.
"Staff made their way through the mangroves to the boy. He was wet and muddy but fortunately he was safe and not in need of medical assistance," Insp. Salter stated. Officers assisted the boy to his feet and carried him out of the water.
"Anyone who has kids will know how terrifying this would have been, and we are fortunate that this could be safely resolved so quickly," Insp. Salter added. "It's a great result by all our staff who responded on Friday."
