Noah Clare And Mom Share Tearful Reunion In Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — It was a night of celebration at the Orange County Sheriff's Department headquarters in Santa Ana Thursday. Noah Clare, the 3-year-old Tennessee toddler taken by his father on a two-week journey across the country, was at last reunited with his mother and family members Thursday night, the OCSD reported.

Sheriff deputies captured the moment on a video uploaded to social media pages.

The video shows Amanda Ennis, Noah's mother, dropping down to her knees as Noah runs to her with his arms outstretched. The mother and child share an emotional embrace after two long weeks of separation.

"I'll tell you what's surprising to me — I know we all see those freeway signs that say 'abduction alert' [with] details of a car," OCSD Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes said during a news conference held Thursday afternoon. "It's not very often we get to come back on the news and say, 'Hey guess what? We caught him.' It's a really good feeling."

Read More: Noah Clare, Amber Clare Found By Good Samaritan In Orange County

Noah and his cousin, 16-year-old Amber Clare, were found in Dana Point thanks to a concerned resident who spotted the pair with Kentucky resident Jacob "Jake" Clare, 33, near Doheny State Beach. Julia Bonin said during the news conference that she was following her instinct when she called dispatch to report what she saw.

Now, thanks to Bonin's instinct, Noah is on his way out of California with his family, OCSD Public Information Officer Sgt. Ryan Anderson told Patch. Amber was also reunited with her family Thursday night, Anderson said.

"You just have to trust your instinct and your gut when you see these things because I almost did not act upon it," Bonin said during the news conference. "I have children of my own and I would want somebody to do the same."

Clare was arrested on the scene shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday at Palisades and Beach. Sheriff authorities reported that the arrest was nonviolent and Clare, who is Noah's father and Amber's uncle, is currently awaiting extradition to Tennessee. He faces an aggravated kidnapping charge levied by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

The trio was traced from Tennessee to San Clemente after the OCSD reported that Clare's car was found in a private tow lot, stocked with some bulk food items, blankets and a car seat.

To watch the full video, view the post below: