Teen rescued from Twin Cities swamp with help of his SRO officer
NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. — A teenage boy was rescued from a Twin Cities swamp Thursday with the help of a drone and several first responders, including a trusted school resource officer.
"Here in New Brighton we are very proud of our relationship with the school district, Mounds View school district," said Thai Xiong.
In the hallways of Irondale High School, Xiong says he loves making connections with students in order to make a difference in their lives.
Thursday afternoon those relationships were needed, when a 14-year-old student with autism left campus and walked across this bridge into Long Lake Park.
"And from that bridge he kind of walked and wandered through the wooded area and over that little channel and into the mulch," Xiong said.
Xiong says the terrain is not friendly and the teen had no idea he was in danger.
"It's wet, its muddy lots of water at one point and time I was knee deep in water as well and mud everywhere, " he described. Everywhere the teenager stepped, he got stuck in the mud.
"He said that he saw some deer and he thought he saw a bear so he was more scared. That's why he kept walking away from us," Xiong said.
Making sure he was safe in the water or on land was top priority. Officers were able to follow him to a more open area, when Xiong was able to get him to come out.
"Earlier in the week I spent two times with him just talking to him about being a firefighter and police because that's what he wanted to," Xiong said.
Xiong says the young man opened up just recently, loving the uniform and hoping to serve and protect his community when he gets old enough.
The teen did need some minor medical treatment but is OK.