Canberra, Australia – A 3-year-old boy wearing a sweatshirt and diapers was found sitting in a stream and taking water in his hands to drink on Monday, three days after getting lost in the rugged Australian forest. Hundreds of people had been looking for Anthony “AJ” Elfalak, who has autism and is not verbal, as he disappeared into his family’s remote rural property near the village of Putty, north of Sydney, on Friday morning.
The crew of a police helicopter saw him sitting in shallow water on a creek bed Monday morning about 510 meters from his home, police Superintendent Tracy Chapman said.
He was in good condition, but was taken to a hospital for observation, ambulance officers reported.
His father, Anthony Elfalak, said AJ had been bitten by ants, had diaper rashes and suffered abrasions.
“It’s a miracle,” the father told reporters after he and his wife, Kelly Elfalak, reunited with their son.
“He’s just clinging to his mother. As soon as he heard his mother, he opened his eyes and looked at her and fell asleep,” she said.
Dean Lewins / AP
AJ was found in an area that had been searched before. Police assume he spent all his time in the woods, Chapman said.
His ability to find drinking water was a key factor in his survival because of the danger of dehydration, he said. Overnight temperatures in the area dropped to 43 degrees Fahrenheit.
AJ was kneeling in the creek when a State Emergency Service officer reached him and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, SES chief inspector Simon Merrick said.
The officer “stated that he [AJ] she turned to him with a massive smile on her face that she won’t forget, ”Merrick said.
Dean Lewins / AP
The paramedic who examined AJ, Gerry Pyke, described him as a “little survivor.”
“Little AJ’s condition was pretty remarkable,” Pyke said. “He was very, very grateful. I could see that in his eyes.”
AJ slept in an ambulance after reuniting with his parents and then woke up hungry.
“He got stuck in about three slices of pizza and a banana, so it’s pretty good,” Pyke said.