Hero Dad Who Rescued Boy From Hersheypark Monorail Track Speaks Out

The heroic dad who rescued a little boy from the monorail track at Hersheypark is revealing what went through his head before jumping into action.

“Dad instincts kicked in, and then [I was] just trying to figure things out and how to get up there as fast as possible,” John Sampson told local outlet Fox 43. 

Sampson was visiting the Hershey, Pa. amusement park on Saturday, Aug. 30 when he spotted a young boy walking alone on the elevated monorail track above the park.

A spokesperson for the park told PEOPLE the child was reported missing around 5:05 p.m. local time, after being separated from his mother. It was later discovered the boy had snuck into the monorail station, which was not in operation at the time. Officials said he stayed in the area for 20 minutes before climbing onto the tracks. 

“The ride was closed and safeguarded by a chained closure at the entrance and barricaded turnstile at the platform,” the Hersheypark spokesperson said.

Videos taken by bystanders on the ground show the child, who appeared confused, walking along the tracks high above the park. Guests are seen running, screaming and directing the child towards a nearby building. 

In a matter of moments, Sampson emerged on the roof of the building before launching himself up onto the track. The boy slowly made his way to the dad, whose arms were outstretched ready to receive the child. Once Sampson picked him up, the crowd erupted in cheers. 

“[I felt] relief, absolute relief, and even I could feel it in him — the relief as soon as he got into my arms,” Sampson said. “Thank goodness he came straight into my arms, and it went nice and simply in that sense.”

After the rescue, the boy was determined to be uninjured. According to park officials, only 23 minutes passed between the missing child report and when he was reunited with his family.

“We are grateful for the vigilance of our guests and the swift response of our team, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest levels of guest safety throughout Hersheypark,” the spokesperson for the Hersheypark told PEOPLE.

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Since the incident, the boy’s family has reached out to Sampson to thank him for his heroism.

“They reached out to me this morning, so we were able to talk, and, obviously, [there was] a lot of thanks and everything, which was wonderful,” Sampson said. “And I’m so happy to hear that he’s obviously back with his family, which is the biggest thing out of all of this.”

According to Fox 43, Hersheypark said it is reviewing how the boy was able to access the closed monorail area.