7-year-old student found safe after going missing during game of hide-and-seek
By Shelley Bortz
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It was a tense situation at Pittsburgh Colfax on Tuesday after a 7-year-old student in the school’s autistic support program briefly wandered away during recess. Staff and school police immediately jumped into action, and thanks to a retired teacher, that child is safe tonight.
Police say the little boy vanished just after noon during a game of hide-and-seek at Colfax elementary. That set off an immediate search that ended when a neighbor called 911.
Officials say it happened around 12:15 when a 7-year-old student left the school grounds without anyone noticing.
Once staff realized the child was missing, they immediately initiated a search of the building and the surrounding property. The school was placed on “hold” status, which means students stayed in classrooms while every locker, closet and restroom was searched.
It wasn’t until another student spoke up that it was learned the 7-year-old talked about “playing hide-and-seek” and “running far so they wouldn’t be caught.”
The student was finally found after knocking on a nearby neighbor’s door, which happened to be the home of a retired Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher.
That former teacher called 911, and within minutes, the child was reunited with his family.
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