Boy With Autism Wanders From Bronx School, Found Alone On Street
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 5-year-old boy with autism was found walking alone in the street after wandering away from his elementary school in the Bronx on Jan. 6.
Tyler, 5, of the Bronx, managed to wander away from elementary school P.S. 29 on Wednesday afternoon without officials noticing, CBS2's Valerie Castro reported.
"He could have gotten hit by a car, a predator could have snatched him up," Laisha Nunn, Tyler's mother, said.
It wasn't until his father came to pick him up that school officials realized Tyler was gone. While Tyler's parents began to worry, Beatriz Roman, another P.S. 29 parent, saw the boy all alone.
"He was walking around by himself like he's scared," Roman said.
Tyler had wandered about a block away from school when Roman first noticed him. Roman said he came dangerously close to trying to cross this street by himself.
"Something just, in my heart, told me 'pick him up, help this little boy,'" Roman said.
Roman took the boy to a nearby police precinct, where officers were able to contact the school. Nunn said the school has yet to give her an explaination.
"They've just told me that they can't answer any questions, they're investigating it and that's it," Nunn said.
A Department of Education spokesperson told CBS2 they are "are looking into an incident that took place at the Melrose School in the Bronx and have protocol in place to address any occurrences that are reported."
Nunn said she is grateful a fellow parent was looking out for her son.
"Because she is a responsible adult and she did the right thing, he is safe and I really appreciate that," Nunn said.
Nunn is planning to have Tyler transferred to another school in the wake of Wednesday's events.