FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WSVN) — A police officer in Indiana did not hesitate to go in for the save when he found a boy on the autism spectrum floating on his back in a neighbor’s pool.
The child’s father, Alex Calvillo, said his son Aziel, who is nonverbal, likes to wander around his home in Fort Wayne, but on this day, he was nowhere in sight.
“My friend goes, like, ‘Where’s your son? So I was like, ‘He should have been on the couch watching his tablet,'” said Calvillo “I look out the kitchen doorway and see that the garage door was open, so I immediately ran out and started looking for him and couldn’t find him.”
When police arrived, they told the officer that the 3-year-old likes water and enjoys swimming.
“After I0 you know, reminded him that he’s autistic, he likes water, like two minutes after, they ended up finding him,” said Calvillo.
Fort Wayne Officer Evan Myers was searching for Aziel when he heard a cry from a nearby backyard. He ran through the open fence and found the toddler floating.
Myers’ bodycam video captured him rushing to the boy’s aid, pulling the victim from the water.
Aziel’s parents said their son got to the pool through an opening in the fence.
The child’s family said they are extremely grateful for Myers’ quick actions.
“I want to personally thank him deeply for being able to find my son,” said Savannah Ybarra, Aziel’s mother.
“I definitely want to give him a huge thanks, I can’t describe how grateful I am for him,” said Calvillo. “It definitely means a lot to us and our family.”
Aziel’s family said they plan to put up a fence of their own.
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