Humble Hero Finds Young Boy With Special Needs Who Disappeared After Running From NJ Home
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey community and a humble hero stepped up to help find a young boy with special needs who disappeared Wednesday night.
Ten-year-old Ethan Olivacce has attention deficit disorder and is non-verbal. He disappeared Wednesday night for nearly three hours in the freezing cold.
His father, Chris Olivacce, left their house in South Brunswick a little after 7 p.m. to grab dinner for the family, leaving Ethan with his 16-year-old sister Kayla.
"Since it was so late, I said, you can't come with me tonight," Chris Olivacce said.
But their home security video shows Ethan running out the door after his dad's car.
"So he ran after the car thinking I might see him, but I didn't," Chris Olivacce said.
Kayla called for her brother, but when she didn't find him, she thought he ended up going with their dad.
When Ethan's mom got home from work a few minutes later and called her husband, they realized Ethan was missing.
"In that moment, I'm like, my heart just stopped," mother Nikia Olivacce said.
Police put out Ethan's picture and the search began. It was pitch dark and below freezing.
"All of the fire departments in town, rescue squads, private citizens and all of our officers," South Brunswick Police Lt. Gene Rickle said.
Police put out a community alert that reached nearly 30,000 residents, asking for help.
Twenty minutes after that alert, one of the neighbors found Ethan less than a quarter mile away in a wooded area.
"He said that he spotted someone standing there and called out to him," Rickle said.
But Ethan didn't move and wouldn't answer, so the rescuer called out again.
"The individual, who turned out to be our missing boy, started to walk toward him and as he got closer, he broke into a run and went over and hugged his rescuer," Rickle said.
CBS2's Cindy Hsu spoke to the neighbor who found Ethan, but he wants to stay anonymous and out of the spotlight. He did say he has three young children and was incredibly relieved when he spotted Ethan.
The very shy neighbor hasn't even met Ethan's parents yet.
"I kind of had a sense that he didn't want the recognition so I just let it be, but I am just so thankful," Nikia Olivacce said.
The family says they hope thank their hero in person one day.
