Police Cite Homeless Man for Helping Find Missing Teen With Autism

A homeless man in Garden Grove, California, was cited for his heroic action last week after he helped the police find a missing teenager who is autistic.

Ian Hinton, a 37-year-old transient, was earlier approached by Garden Grove police officer David Chang who was searching the neighborhood with a picture of the missing 17-year-old Charles Truong, KTLA 5 News reported.

The autistic teener wandered away while shopping with his mother on Tuesday afternoon at the Binh Supermarket.

Chang, showed Truong's picture to Hinton who readily agreed to help with the search.

After some hours, Hinton saw a man near a Garden Grove intersection who matched exactly the description given him: 5 feet tall, 100 pounds, wearing a long-sleeve blue striped thermal shirt, black jeans, and black Van's tennis shoes, and with a large scar on the left side of his head.

The boy appeared to be in distress and waving his hands wildly in the air. Hinton started asking strangers for help in informing the police that Truong had been found.

According to Chang, the first two people Hinton asked for help only ignored him. The third person, Blanca Gonzalez, 24, listened to Hinton's request and called the police.

"She saw that he was in a panic and that he was genuinely concerned (about the boy)," Chang said.

Truong was finally rejoined with his mother after a frenzied search that lasted for five hours.

Despite the recognition given him, Hinton maintained that he was not a hero, saying he was only doing what anyone with a giving spirit would do, reported KTLA.

The incident happened just a few days before World Autism Awareness Day.

The local police gave Hinton a small badge called the Chief's Coin For Merit in a ceremony, along with Gonzalez who helped in the search.