Community Corner

Homeless Man Helps Reunite Lost Autistic Boy With Family

A lost autistic boy with the mental capacity of a 4-year-old is back with his mom thanks to a homeless man who went out of his way to help.

A 17-year-old autistic boy who wandered away from his mother when they were shopping at a Garden Grove supermarket, was found with the help of a homeless person, authorities said today.

Charles Truong, who has the mental capacity of a 4-year-old, was shopping at the Binh Supermarket, said Lt. Bob Bogue of the Garden Grove Police Department. He was last seen by a restaurant in the northeast corner of a shopping complex at Brookhurst Street and Westminster Avenue.

Truong was located near Brookhurst Street and Hazard Avenue by a homeless person who frequents the area, Bogue said. A Garden Grove police officer was searching for Truong when he met the homeless man and showed him a picture of the missing 17-year-old. The officer asked him to contact him if he saw the youth.

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When the homeless man found Truong, he held onto him and asked other people to call police. After two tries, a third person got hold of police and they responded, finding Truong in good health.

Truong was reunited with his mother and the officer gave a Chief’s Coin of Merit to the homeless person and the person who called police for their acts of good citizenship.

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