Ryan Paul grew up in the United States, learning from his parents that the first call to 911 should always be made in an emergency. The autistic 12-year-old from Woodbridge, New Jersey, in his bedroom, was having fun with his toys when he discovered he’d misplaced an important item. Ryan contacted 911 because he couldn’t locate his cherished teddy bear. After seeing a police cruiser outside their house, Ryan’s father assumed his son was the one who had informed the authorities.
When Robert Paul asked his son Ryan whether he had called 911, Ryan said, “Yes,” and I asked him why. “Teddy bear rescue, he remarked.” It was Officer Khari Manzini’s first time in the area, and he wanted to check on the Pauls to make sure they were alright. There were no injuries to the teddy bear, Officer Manzini stated. “We located the teddy bear; the teddy bear was OK.”
When faced with this circumstance, Officer Manzini was able to draw on his extensive training in autism detection and response.
When Ryan saw Officer Manzini for the first time, he couldn’t wait to pose for a photo with him.
To top it all off, he was overjoyed to discover the return of his beloved teddy bear.
All police officers should be trained as well as Officer Manzini since we need more people like him in the world.
For Officer Manzini’s bravery, we should honour him by sharing his tale.