Homeless Man Helps Reunite Lost Autistic Boy With Family

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.

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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