WAYNE TOWNSHIP, Ind. -- A 6-year-old autistic boy was reunited with the firefighter who rescued him from a retention pond on Friday.
It was a heartwarming reunion between Aiden Miller and his rescuer Wayne Township Fire Deputy Chief Rick Scott.
It was the first time Aiden's mother, Amanda Sisk, met the man who saved her son's life.
“Got put him there at the exact right moment and I couldn’t be more thankful for him,” said Sisk. “I owe him my child’s life. And I’m just so glad that he got my son out of the water in time.”
Aiden, who is also non-verbal, was very excited about the monster truck that Scott brought for him.
Aiden wandered away from the playground of Westlake Elementary School Wednesday morning and into a pond at the training center for the Wayne Township Fire Department.
Scott said he was in the right place at the right time when he noticed Miller strolling through the yard.
“I believe that each one of us has a calling and when the situations are presented in front of you, it’s your duty to act,” said Scott. “If you follow what you’re being asked to do, everything will work out.”
Scott said he believes Aiden became fixated by something on the water, possibly geese, and kept walking until he was in the pond.
You can see the moment Scott saw the boy enter the water, which is estimated to be about 6 to 7 feet deep, in the video below which was captured on his dash cam. Scott was able to pull Aiden from the water quickly.
April is Autism Awareness month, and the Wayne Township Fire Department says drowning is the number one cause of death for children with autism.
