New York: Autistic boy, 3, rescued from tracks as train approaches | US News

A three-year-old boy with autism was rescued from the tracks as a train approached, in a daring effort by several workers.

Locomotive engineer William Kennedy was piloting a southbound Metro-North Railroad train when he saw an object in the distance and realized that a small child was on the northbound track.

“There’s a little kid to the north of you… just watch out, he just jumped out of a wall,” someone is heard saying in video released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Tuesday.

The northbound train, operated by locomotive engineer Shawn Loughran along with an apprentice, slowly moves on as they search for the child. A person can be heard demanding that the electricity be turned off.

Assistant conductor Marcus Higgins then jumps onto the tracks and runs 40 yards in front of the train, grabbing the toddler. Then he gets the boy on board.

“In the heat of the moment, when you see a kid in that situation, your first instinct is to make sure they’re safe,” Higgins said. “I’m glad our crew was there and able to help.”

Loughran said: “I’m just so happy that everything worked out and everything fell into place.”

The toddler was rescued near the Tarrytown train station in New York shortly after 3:15 p.m. on April 6. Signalmen Max Chong and Christopher Fraina, who were on their way to help, came across the boy’s mother and sister on a street corner, crying.

The train worker soon realized that the rescued child was theirs, and they were reunited on a train platform. The mother explained that her son has autism.

“Everyone’s quick thinking and perfect timing allowed us to get this kid off the tracks and back to his family,” Kennedy said.

The MTA presented commendations to five of the railroad employees during a ceremony Monday.

“These amazing team members embodied the qualities our employees should exhibit on duty, alert, responsive, knowledgeable and helpful,” said Catherine Rinaldi, President of the Metro-North Railroad and Interim LIRR President.

“With the bravery and calm demeanor of superheroes, they averted a terrible outcome and made sure this little boy didn’t become a statistic.”

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, Visit our news page.