Moment cops find sobbing four-year-old lost in the woods
‘I’ve Got You, Buddy’: Heartwarming moment cops find sobbing 4-year-old being guarded by his pet dog after getting lost in South Jersey woods
- The boy was missing in the South Jersey woods for nearly an hour Wednesday.
- The boy wandered from his home in Buena Vista, Atlantic City.
- The mother said she heard her son’s desperate screams but was unable to locate him.
This is the touching moment when a four-year-old boy lost in the woods is rescued by the New Jersey State Police.
The frightened toddler, whose name was not released, went missing after he wandered away from his home in Buena Vista Township, Atlantic City on Wednesday night.
The dramatic video shows police officers running after the boy, dressed only in a flannel shirt and shorts, with his dog, a black Labrador retriever, in the arid woods of South Jersey, nearly half a mile from his home.
In body cam footage, officers are seen running during the nail biting rescue as one officer yells, ‘I got it… I got it.’ The officer is then heard summoning the young man in a reassuring tone. ‘Hey buddy… got you… you’re fine.’
The overwhelmed and crying boy is heard repeatedly moaning, “I lost my shoe… I lost my shoe,” as soldier Ian Emmi pounces on the boy and holds him in his arms before he is taken to his mother.
The frightened boy (pictured), whose name was not released, went missing after he wandered away from his home in Buena Vista, Atlantic City, on Wednesday night.
An image of the woods located in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey, where the boy was roaming.
The ordeal began when the boy and his dog got lost. The boy’s mother said she could hear her son’s desperate screams, but she was unable to locate him for more than an hour.
New Jersey State Trooper Ian Emmi and the boy’s mother followed the sounds of the boy’s voice and were soon able to locate the boy, according to a statement from the New Jersey State Police.
The frightened young man was shaken by the incident but was unharmed.
Police did not reveal what led the boy to wander into the woods.
State police posted a video of the dramatic rescue that garnered thousands of views. They also issued a statement.
‘Last night, Buena Vista Station Police officers responded to a report of a missing child in Buena Vista Twp., Atlantic County.’
“A 4-year-old boy and his black Labrador had strayed from their home and were missing for over an hour.”
“While searching for the boy, Private Ian Emmi and the boy’s mother heard him in the distance and rushed to his location almost half a mile from his home.”
“We are grateful to report that due to the quick response from the soldiers and his mother, the terrified boy was located safely and in good health.”
The boy’s mother is seen holding her son tightly in her arms during the rescue.
The police statement that was released by the New Jersey State Police after the rescue
Many praised the officers for their quick action and the boy’s dog, which never left his best friend’s side.
‘Thank God! Thanks to the NJ State Police and the boy’s mother, great news he was found with his guard dog,” one person wrote.
Another commented: ‘How grateful we are that this ended well with the rescue of this poor lost boy. Great job from his mom along with our NJSP! Well done, soldiers.
‘Good job everyone. Especially the dog, I would never have left that child. He may have even brought it home,’ someone quipped.