Boy Rescued from Hersheypark Monorail Is on ‘Autism Spectrum,’ Says Dad Who Saved Him

The heroic father who saved a young boy from the monorail track at Hersheypark has confirmed the child is on the autism spectrum.

John Sampson was visiting the Hershey, Pa. amusement park on Saturday, Aug. 30, when he spotted a young boy walking alone on a monorail track elevated high above the ground. The bystander quickly got to the roof of a nearby building and climbed up onto the tracks to grab him. Videos taken of the incident showed the crowd erupting in cheers after Sampson picked up the young boy.

On Sept. 2, Sampson posted a Facebook graphic on his public profile thanking everyone for the kind words of support following the rescue. Sampson, a veterinarian in Richboro, Pa. and a father of three, said he doesn’t consider himself a hero, and doesn’t want or need any praise for simply trusting his “dad instincts.”

Sampson added, “with confirmation & permission from the boy’s family, I’m sharing that he is on the autism spectrum.”

Because of this, the avid Philadelphia Eagles fan asked those wishing to express their gratitude or show support to “please consider donating to the Eagles Autism Foundation.”

The non-profit organization created by the NFL team supports autism research, advocacy and care and provides resources for affected individuals and families. 

Sampson continued: “The attention should not be on me, but focused on educating and supporting organizations that research, advocate and impact kids like the boy who thankfully made it home safely with his family.”  Neither the child nor his parents have been publicly identified.

For those wanting to contribute another way, Sampson recommended donating to local animal shelters or rescues.  

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), families of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often report children placing themselves in danger by “wandering” or “eloping.” The agency defines elopement as a “dependent person exposing him or herself to potential danger by leaving a supervised, safe space or the care of a responsible person.”

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

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

They added: “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.”

Park officials said only 23 minutes passed between the missing child report and when he was reunited with family.

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Following the incident, Sampson spoke to local outlet Fox 43 about 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,” he said. 

He also said the family of the boy reached out to offer their gratitude.

“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.”