Observant gas station employees help get missing child to safety

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - A missing child is now safe thanks to some gas station employees in Evansville.

The assistant manager at the Fastbreak at Morgan Avenue and Oak Hill Road called 911 Wednesday night after she, as well as other employees, spotted a boy in their store.

According to the call, the boy was in a t-shirt with no coat and was looking at snacks in the store.

Earlier, officers with the Evansville Police Department had been in the area looking for a missing 12-year-old.

The gas station employees thought the boy fit the description. They were able to get the child behind the counter to wait safely for officers.

“I’m just glad he’s okay,” the employee said on the call.

EPD Sgt. Anna Gray says the outcome could have been very different had those cashiers not spoken up.

“We can’t be everywhere at once,” Gray said. “We may have six or seven officers on one run in particular, but that doesn’t cover a lot of ground if you think about it. The community is our eyes and ears. We always say we’re in a partnership with the community, and this is an example of how that partnership works.”

Sgt. Gray says this is a reminder that if you see something, say something.

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