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The boy’s parents told police that they “went outside to their vehicle for a moment and inadvertently left the garage door open” on Hickory Lane shortly before 5 p.m. last Thursday, Detective Lt. Vincent Aiello said.
Lt. Matthew Thornhill was among a massive group of responders that included Detective Sgt. Keith Dombkowski and Officers Justin Krapels and Brian Kelly, as well as police from Alpine, Cresskill, Demarest, Haworth, Northvale and Norwood and a Bergen County sheriff’s K-9 unit.
A half-hour or so into the search, Thornhill heard the young boy crying inside a nearby residence currently under construction, Aiello said.
The lieutenant found the youngster on the second floor, he said.
Given the weather at the time – with temperatures in the 90s – the Closter Volunteer Ambulance Corps checked the boy out to make sure he was OK, Aiello said.
Aiello thanked all the assisting responders.
“The quick response and coordinated effort with all responding patrol units to locate this child undoubtedly averted a tragedy for this young child,” he said.
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