Totowa officers and neighbors pulled a boy from the Passaic River

Totowa police, firefighters, and neighbors found a 6-year-old boy at the Passaic River on Thursday night and brought him up the bank, ABC7 New York reported. The boy, Jacob, is nonverbal and has autism. He had climbed out a window. Callers told police a barefoot child was knocking on doors and then moving on. Officers arrived to find his parents already searching.

Patrolman Fina Matranga said the search felt personal because the officers are parents in a small community. As it widened, responders worried Jacob might go toward the water. They called the fire department for lights and more people, and they called the sheriff's department.

Searchers found him before the current took him. He was halfway in the cold river, down a dark bank, holding a tree. The drop was steep, so the crews formed a human chain and pulled him up. He was soaked and covered in mud. Matranga sat with him, cleaned him a little, and gave him sensory toys she keeps in her duty bag for calls like this.

Neighbor Latoya Carswell said people were calling Jacob's name on foot. She recognized him because responders had helped him once before. Police said his parents are putting tighter locks on the windows.