Victorian police have rescued a nine-year-old boy with autism after he went lacking from his Braybrook house and was discovered swimming in a river about 5km downstream in Avondale Heights, in Melbourne’s northwest.
Members of the general public noticed the boy swimming within the Maribyrnong River close to Peerless Ct about 7.30pm Monday.
When the police arrived, they stated he appeared, “misplaced, exhausted … and struggling to speak”.
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“The kid was not solely struggling within the water, we quickly realized he was additionally struggling to speak and was unable to shout for assist,” First Constable Jesse Kozak stated.
“He was shivering within the water, and once we managed to rescue him, he was exhausted and unable to stroll.”
The nine-year-old was rescued and handled by paramedics.
Police stated about two hours earlier he was reported lacking from his Braybrook house which was about 5km upstream from the place he was discovered.
“We had been shocked once we realized that he was reported lacking in Braybrook and had managed to journey down the river to Avondale Heights.” Kozak stated.
They stated if members of the general public hadn’t known as the police, the boy was prone to drowning.
“I would wish to thank the member of the general public who observed the boy within the river and reported this to us. In the event that they hadn’t achieved this, the implications would have been tragic.”
