WOODBRIDGE, New Jersey — Ryan Paul knew to call 911 in case of an emergency. It only made sense in his mind to contact police when his teddy bear, Freddy, went missing.
Ryan, who has autism, spoke briefly to the dispatcher before hanging up. “My teddy bear fell down again. Don’t worry I’ll rescue you again. Goodbye again. See you again.” The dispatcher didn’t get a chance to ask Ryan any questions, so a trooper was dispatched to the Paul home.
Ryan’s father recognized just a moment too late that his son had called police for a “teddy bear rescue”.
Officer Khari Manzini of the Woodbridge Police Department was at the family’s home in a matter of minutes. It didn’t take long for Officer Manzini to find the lost teddy bear.
Mazini was the perfect officer to answer this special call. He had recently received training on how to recognize a person with autism and how to help them through high-stress situations.
After rescuing the bear, Ryan had one more favor to ask Officer Manzini. He wanted a picture of the two of them together. Manzini was happy to oblige.
Ryan’s father went to Facebook to praise the way that the Woodbridge Police Department handled the situation.
“I’d like to thank the officer who responded for his kindness and understanding, even posing for a picture with the ‘offender,’ as well as the 911 operator who called back to make sure everything was OK,” he wrote. “I’m glad that we have such a fine and caring police department.”
In an interview with local media, Ryan’s dad promised he’ll be working with him to understand when and when not to call 911.
“We just need to fine-tune it a little bit as to when it actually gets used.”
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