PAPILLION, NEBRASKA — A truck driver is being credited with helping save a young boy found alone on a roadway median early in the morning during heavy rain, and the driver’s own account describes how he turned around, brought the child into his truck to warm up, and stayed with him until police arrived.

The incident happened at about 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 8 when Ed Coleman, a driver for Sapp Brothers and also identified as a driver for Sapp Brothers Petroleum, spotted a small figure standing alone on a median in Papillion. Dash camera video from Coleman’s truck captured the child through raindrops, and Coleman said he quickly turned around to check what he was seeing.

“Did kind of a U-turn real quick to go back and see what was going on, and noticed there was a little kid standing on the median,” Coleman said.

Coleman and reports described the child as believed to be 3 or 4 years old, and also described as 3 years old, soaked from the weather and standing alone. The child was carrying a small bag and was also described as having a small backpack containing Pull-Ups and clothes. Coleman said the boy was wearing a pajama onesie and a pair of Crocs.

Coleman said he was trying to process what he was seeing before his instincts took over. “All I cared about was get him in the truck and get him safe,” Coleman said. He said he thought about his own children, adding that if you watch closely, he began getting emotional.

Coleman said another driver had already stopped and provided a blanket. Coleman recalled asking the driver if police had been called. “I asked, ‘Did you call the cops yet?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I’ve already called them.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m going to pick the kid up, put him in my truck to get him warm, get him dried off, and I’m going to call the cops also,’” Coleman said.

Video from multiple cameras on and inside Coleman’s truck showed him lifting the child into the cab and placing him in the passenger seat before calling 911. During the call, Coleman described what he found and told authorities the child was soaked. “And there’s this little boy, can’t be much more than three years old. Just standing in the middle of the road,” Coleman told 911. He then added, “Yep, yep, he’s standing right in front of me right now, but I got the little boy in my work truck with me getting warm because he is soaking wet.”

Coleman kept the child warm and dry while waiting for officers to arrive. To help comfort him and keep him calm, Coleman offered cartoons. Coleman said he asked what the boy wanted to watch, saw “Incredibles” on the phone, and the boy responded enthusiastically. “I’m like, ‘What do you want to watch?’ And I see ‘Incredibles’ on there. He’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah, ‘Incredibles.’’ And just instantly just handed the phone,” Coleman said.

Coleman said the location where he found the child was part of his normal route, but he had diverted slightly that morning and still does not know what prompted him to go that way. “That is my normal route. I kind of diverted off a little bit from where I normally run from one stop to the next stop, and I don’t really know what pulled me that way,” he said.

Whatever led him there, Coleman said he was glad he was able to help. He said he was relieved to learn the boy was safe and returned home. The Papillion Police Department later confirmed that the boy’s parents were located and that the child was safely returned to his family. Authorities have not said how the child ended up alone on the median, and questions remain about what led to him being on the roadway.

Coleman said he has not met or spoken with the child’s family, but he emphasized that if anyone sees a child in need, they should stop and help if it is safe to do so. He also said that if the parents could not be found, he did not want the boy to end up in the system and that he and his wife would have tried to help the child in any way they could.

Police praised Coleman’s quick actions, saying they likely prevented a far more serious outcome. The circumstances that led to the child being on the median remain under review.

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