Ontario boy, 7, crosses border unnoticed
MARY NERSESSIAN
STAFF REPORTER
A 7-year-old Canadian boy wandered unnoticed over the Whirlpool Bridge into the United States this weekend despite heightened border security.
Mitchel Hernder, of Niagara Falls, Ont., was found two hours after he went missing Saturday afternoon.
"Thank God he wasn't a terrorist," said Lieutenant Sal Pino of the Niagara Falls, N.Y. police. "It was a security violation, a 7-year-old should not have been allowed into the country."
Police officer John Conte found the boy several kilometres from the border, standing in the middle of a six-lane street, after getting a call from a motorist.
Mitchel, who is mildly autistic, had his name, address and phone number memorized.
"It's not often you pick up a missing child from another country," Conte told CFTO.
The boy's parents had earlier locked his bike in their garage as a punishment for wandering off without telling them.
Mitchel took his sister's bike out at about 3:45 p.m., and rode about 2 1/2 kilometres to the border crossing.
The boy told police that when he saw a "No Bicycles Allowed" sign at the border, he threw the bike over the bridge and continued on foot.
Pino said there are three ways of getting through the border at that site, "but he should have been noticed no matter how he got across."
When the Hernders discovered Mitchel was missing, they started looking in neighbours' backyards and called the police.
They were especially concerned because the boy had a habit of befriending everyone, said his father Mark Hernder.
"He has to be watched constantly," Hernder said in a telephone interview. "I turned around and he was gone, we were going nuts."
When he arrived at the police station, his son was happily playing on the computer and sipping a pop. "It was a great adventure as far as (Mitchel) was concerned."
reference
*****
who is to blame here, the parents for not watching their kid, U.S. customs, or both? i use 'fault' and 'blame' loosely here. thoughts?
MARY NERSESSIAN
STAFF REPORTER
A 7-year-old Canadian boy wandered unnoticed over the Whirlpool Bridge into the United States this weekend despite heightened border security.
Mitchel Hernder, of Niagara Falls, Ont., was found two hours after he went missing Saturday afternoon.
"Thank God he wasn't a terrorist," said Lieutenant Sal Pino of the Niagara Falls, N.Y. police. "It was a security violation, a 7-year-old should not have been allowed into the country."
Police officer John Conte found the boy several kilometres from the border, standing in the middle of a six-lane street, after getting a call from a motorist.
Mitchel, who is mildly autistic, had his name, address and phone number memorized.
"It's not often you pick up a missing child from another country," Conte told CFTO.
The boy's parents had earlier locked his bike in their garage as a punishment for wandering off without telling them.
Mitchel took his sister's bike out at about 3:45 p.m., and rode about 2 1/2 kilometres to the border crossing.
The boy told police that when he saw a "No Bicycles Allowed" sign at the border, he threw the bike over the bridge and continued on foot.
Pino said there are three ways of getting through the border at that site, "but he should have been noticed no matter how he got across."
When the Hernders discovered Mitchel was missing, they started looking in neighbours' backyards and called the police.
They were especially concerned because the boy had a habit of befriending everyone, said his father Mark Hernder.
"He has to be watched constantly," Hernder said in a telephone interview. "I turned around and he was gone, we were going nuts."
When he arrived at the police station, his son was happily playing on the computer and sipping a pop. "It was a great adventure as far as (Mitchel) was concerned."
reference
*****
who is to blame here, the parents for not watching their kid, U.S. customs, or both? i use 'fault' and 'blame' loosely here. thoughts?
7 year old boy puts homeland security to shame...
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