ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – A Florida father is facing child neglect charges after police say he left his young son behind during a food delivery route.
According to Altamonte Springs police, the nonverbal boy, who has autism, was found naked and alone on an Interstate 4 entrance ramp.
What we know:
A father in Altamonte Springs has been charged with child neglect after his nonverbal, autistic son was found naked and wandering alone on an I-4 entrance ramp late Thursday night.
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Police say the father, identified as Jeremy Rouse, admitted to continuing his Uber Eats delivery route — even after realizing his son was missing — to avoid damaging his delivery rating. The
The child, discovered around 11 p.m. on Oct. 16, was rescued by two bystanders just before he could enter the highway’s traffic lanes.
What we don’t know:
The child’s age has not been publicly released. It’s also unclear if Uber Eats or child protective services have taken additional action beyond the criminal charges and DCF’s investigation.
What they’re saying:
Jamie Cabell was one of two people who stopped to chase the boy as he ran toward the highway.
“I was running pretty fast. Anything could’ve happened in a matter of seconds because cars were zooming by,” she said.
Alexandre Thomas-Brown was the second witness who helped rescue the child from traffic.
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“It was like we were running a quarter-mile run, and I had to catch this kid. I’m not going to let him go out into traffic. I have to save him.”
According to police, Rouse told them he didn’t stop because he didn’t want his Uber Eats rating to suffer, and was afraid he’d be arrested if he returned to the scene.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Altamonte Springs Police Department.
