GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Bodycam video shows the moment two police officers used their parental instincts to rescue a five-year-old boy with autism trapped deep inside a sewer system.
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The boy wandered from a playground at Peachtree Ridge Park on Nov. 15.
Forty minutes into the search, Ofc. Jacob Hugley spotted a fence pulled up near a retention pond with a drainage pipe beneath it.
“I have a five-year-old who’s on the autism spectrum. When he’s afraid or scared, he hides,” Hugley told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson.
Hugley called out for the child using the boy’s nickname. The sound of a whimper came back from deep inside the pipe.
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Officer Steven Nunez was nearby and immediately crawled into the drainage system without hesitation.
“I wasn’t thinking as a police officer. I was just thinking as a parent,” Nunez said.
Nunez crawled 200 feet through the pipe in near-total darkness. He says his knees scraped against the concrete as he called out to the boy.
While Nunez moved through the drain, other officers located the nearest manhole cover above them. Within minutes, they pulled both Nunez and the boy to safety.
The child had no injuries.
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Less than an hour after he disappeared, the boy was reunited with his parents.
“That’s one of the best feelings in the world, is to get the kids back with his parents,” Hugley said.
Both officers credit their experience as fathers for guiding their instincts during the rescue. Nunez also has a child with autism at home.
“Just seeing the parents reunite, that made my day,” Nunez said.
Police recommend Project Lifesaver, a tracking program for people with cognitive disorders who may wander.
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