Boy, 9, rescued from creek amid rising tide in Glouco

Quick action by police saved a 9-year-old Gloucester County boy with autism who was found submerged up to his neck in the thick mud of Mantua Creek during an incoming tide.

The unidentified child from the Mount Royal section of East Greenwich was reported missing by his parents at 3:45 p.m. Saturday after he wandered away from his Billows Drive home.

About 90 minutes later, three K-9 units, from East Greenwich, Logan, and Deptford Townships, tracked the child's scent to the bank of the creek near his home where they found his shoes, East Greenwich Police Chief Barry Jenkins said.

"They saw him sinking in the mud and heard him screaming," Jenkins said. The child was about 400 yards offshore on the other side of the creek and going under fast; the tide was quickly rising, he said.

Seven officers and three dogs immediately plunged into the frigid water and swam 20 yards across the creek. The officers crawled through the muddy marsh to reach the child and furiously dug with their hands until they could free the boy.

"They got under his armpits and pulled him from the muck," Jenkins said. The child was unclothed when he was pulled free, and Jenkins did not know whether the clothes were stuck in the mud or whether the child had discarded them.

Then the officers had to rescue one of their own, when East Greenwich Officer Bill Crothers also became trapped.

East Greenwich Sgt. Matt Brenner swam the child back across the creek to safety, Jenkins said.

The boy was reunited with his father and taken to Underwood Hospital for evaluation. Jenkins estimated the boy was within minutes of drowning in the incoming tide.

"I am very proud to be their chief," he said of his men.

Jenkins said the officers acted quickly and didn't take time to remove their weapons or gear, which may have been ruined by the brackish water and dirt. Given recent budget cuts, he said he was not sure he had the money for replacements.