New York City Police Rescue Missing Autistic Teen From Ocean

NEW YORK CITY — New York City police reunited a missing autistic teen with his family after rescuing him from the ocean.

According to the department, NYPD Aviation used night vision goggles and a thermal imaging camera to track down the 14 year old early Tuesday morning. The uninjured boy was found in the water in Riis Park.

In video captured by NYPD, the teen can be seen sitting in the water at Ocean Promenade and Beach 135 Street in Belle Harbor as waves crashed into him. An officer standing on the shore attempts to communicate with the teen.

The teen eventually inches closer to the shore as the officer walks toward him, grabs his hand and helps him back onto dry land.

Ultimately, the ending was a happy one.

"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," tweeted NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea. "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!"

It was not immediately known how the teen became separated from his family.

The oceanside scare comes eight years after the death of Avonte Oquendo, a 14-year-old autistic boy who left school undetected in Oct. 2013. His badly decomposed body was eventually found washed up on a beach in Queens three months later, the Daily News reported.

The tragedy ultimately led to the passage of "Avonte’s Law," which requires the New York City Department of Education to evaluate the need for alarms on exterior doors at elementary schools and schools serving students with special needs.