Milwaukee transit driver rescues missing 5-year-old from the cold

The gifts of kindness and compassion go a long way, especially when a child is alone on the streets in the middle of winter.

It was a chilly 20 degrees at midnight on Jan. 29 when transit driver Denise Wilson stopped to take a break at an intersection in Milwaukee. That’s when she saw a 5-year-old boy running in the street.

Wilson’s training and instincts kicked in and she carried the boy onto her bus to get warm and safe until police arrived. A stranger at a nearby gas station gave him a long-sleeved shirt and Wilson kept him warm on the bus, covering him with her coat. Police say the child had wandered off from his home.

Sgt. Timothy Gauerke, public information officer with the Milwaukee Police Department, said police investigated the incident. “The MCTS driver found the boy and kept him on the bus with her until police arrived and investigated. The child was reunited with family in the 2700 block of N. 56th Street and it was determined the child left the house by mistake. There are no changes/updates in this incident. The case was closed the night it occurred.”