NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The NYPD’s aviation unit deployed night vision and thermal imaging goggles to track down an autistic teen on the Jacob Riis Park beach around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, police said.
Infrared rial footage released by the department shows the 14-year-old boy knelt in shallow waters around 1 a.m. as small waves broke around him.
An NYPD member can be seen taking the teen by the hand and walking him back to the shore. The boy was not injured and quickly reunited with his family, according to police.
The rescue earned public praise from the department’s top cop.
“Every cop’s heart beats a little faster when they hear about a missing child — I’m sure it was no different for these [NYPD Special Ops] cops,” Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted Tuesday. “And then that final sense of relief when you hear the words “the child has been REUNITED” crackle over the radio. Outstanding job by all!”