Nationwide — Arnett Johnson, an African American man from Miami, Florida, who is currently homeless, is being praised after he found a 6-year-old boy walking alone on Miami streets late at night. He quickly called the police and stayed with the child until help arrived.
Johnson has been living on a bench in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood for about six months after serving time in prison. Around 11 p.m. last Wednesday, he noticed the young boy wandering by himself.
“I’m looking around for the parent, but I looked and don’t see nobody, you know what I’m saying? So, what is this kid doing out here at night?” Johnson told WLBT.
Johnson immediately called Miami police and stayed with the boy while waiting. He said, “God sent me there, so I had to do what God say do.”
Investigators later said the child, who has delayed speech, told them his mother had dropped him off and left him. Police confirmed the boy had been missing for more than 12 hours.
Authorities identified the child’s mother as 30-year-old Annie Rivera. She was arrested and charged with child neglect. She appeared in bond court, where a judge set her bond at $2,500, which was later posted.
The boy was placed under the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families following the incident.