Autistic 5-Year-Old Wanders From East Harlem School, Reports Say

EAST HARLEM, NY — An East Harlem family was given a scare Monday when a 5-year-old boy with autism was able to wander away from school, according to multiple reports.

Paris Washington, who is described as nonverbal, left the grounds of the Mosaic Preparatory Academy on East 111th Street near Lexington Avenue around 10:30 a.m. during a lunch break, the Daily News reported. Washington and his classmates were playing outside when he ran off, according to the report.

Even though the boy is in a special class with an 8-1 student to teacher ration, his mother blames a lack of supervision for the scare, ABC7 reported.

"It's just a very dangerous situation," Wilson told the news station. "I feel they were very negligent with the supervision that they have for my child."

Wilson and the family have hired a lawyer to try to get the 5-year-old placed in a different school, ABC7 reported.

Washington was located blocks away from the school on East 115th Street and Park Avenue when he tried to get into a yellow cab, the Daily News reported. The cab driver called the police who were able to recover the boy and return him safely, according to the report.

The family received the call that Washington was found around 11:20 a.m., the boy's father told the Daily News.

“They told us he was on 115th and his school was on 111th St., so anything could have happened to him,” Anthony Washington, 34, told the Daily News. "We want to shed some light so this never happens again to anyone’s child."

The Department of Education released a statement saying that the school followed the right protocol Monday for a missing student.

"The school followed protocol and the student was quickly and safely found nearby. Safety always comes first and we will ensure appropriate supports are provided to the family."

Although Washington returned home safely, his family knows that it could have easily been worse. In October 2013, 14-year-old student Avonte Oquendo, who had autism, went missing from the Riverview School in Long Island City, Queens, after exiting the school through an unlocked side door. Oquendo's remains were found in the East River in January 2014, CNN reported at the time.

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