Boy With Autism Ends Up Unaccompanied By River Bank Near Miller Park

Several off-duty Milwaukee police officers were able to keep a child with autism from falling into the Menomonee River near Miller Park.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

July 27, 2016

Milwaukee, WI - On Tuesday, several off-duty Milwaukee Police officers and on-duty officers are being called as heroes for locating and preventing an unaccompanied child with autism from falling into the Menomonee River. According to a press release by the Milwaukee Police Department, Alert on and off-duty Milwaukee Police officers worked together and helped rescue a child with autism near Miller Park.  MPD bike officer Juan Lopez was on patrol for the July 26 baseball game when he was flagged down by a father from Glendale who said his 6-year-old son with autism was missing.  Officer Lopez and Officer Michael Maldonado began immediately searching the surrounding area.  A few minutes later, a woman yelled to officers that the child was in the Menomonee River near the pedestrian bridge.  

The child was standing in the water and MPD Detective Alexander Ayala and Officer Jose Acevedo, who were off-duty and attending a tailgate, ran to the river and took the boy to safety.  The child was reunited with his parents and no medical attention was needed.  

The quick response by everyone involved prevented a potentially dangerous situation and demonstrated that officers, even when off-duty, are always there to help the community, according to the MPD news release.