New footage shows the dramatic moment Georgia police rescued a five-year-old boy with autism from a sewer drain.
The rescue mission started when officers responded to reports of a missing five-year-old boy who had wandered away from the playground at Peachtree Ridge Park in Suwanee, Georgia, on November 15, according to a statement from the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Police searched for the boy for nearly an hour before one officer discovered a fence near a retention pond had been pulled up. When he went under it, he noticed there was a nearby sewer drain.
“He followed his instinct, went under the fence, and checked in a sewer drain of a nearby neighborhood. Officer Hugley called out to the boy and heard something back,” the Gwinnett County Police said in a statement.
Another officer arrived, and he crawled into the sewer to rescue the five-year-old.
“Officer Nunez arrived and crawled into the sewer and found the boy a couple hundred feet into the drain. While Officer Nunez was crawling through the sewer, Lt. Huggins located the nearest drain hole cover and directed them to his location,” the police department said in a statement.
The five-year-old was “safely removed from the sewer without any injuries,” according to police.
Footage released by the police department shows an officer asking the parents if the five-year-old has any nicknames. “Bubby, or Two,” one of his parents said.
Once the officer found the storm drain, a faint voice could be heard. He called out: “Bubby? Two, is that you?”
“Bubby, Two, come here, it’s the police,” he said. “Come here — hi bubby, come here, I’m here to help you.”
He continued to call out for the boy as another officer crawled inside. Soon afterward, the officer declared: “Nunez got him!”
The five-year-old was offered a snack and bottle of water as crews checked him for injuries. He was then reunited with his parents.
