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A former convict, currently homeless, became an unexpected hero in Miami late Wednesday night when he saved a lost child wandering alone through the streets. His actions have garnered significant praise from local law enforcement, who emphasized the potential dangers the boy could have faced had he not intervened.
Known to sleep on a familiar bench in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood since his release from prison six months ago, Arnett Johnson found himself in a situation that was both alarming and serendipitous. As reported by Local10, Johnson was taken aback when he noticed a young boy aimlessly roaming the streets close to midnight.
Having become accustomed to the strange and unusual during his time living on the streets, Johnson viewed his presence at that moment as something beyond mere coincidence. He described the experience as a moment of divine guidance.
“God sent me there. I had to do what God say to do,” Johnson shared with the local news outlet, reflecting on his pivotal role in ensuring the child’s safety.
“God sent me there. I had to do what God say to do,” he told the local outlet.
He explained that he did one more check around the area, just in case the boy’s parents were actually nearby, before determining he was truly alone.
Johnson said he called police and waited with the 6-year-old, keeping him out of harm’s way until authorities arrived to collect him.
“It’s dangerous every day out here, right here. Especially, we got homeless people all together, and you’ve got fixed minds — it’s dangerous,” Johnson told the outlet.
The cops praised the “good Samaritan that was sleeping on the streets” whom they credited with saving the child.
“You know, kudos to him. We don’t know what would have happened if he would have remained on the streets,” Miami police Officer Mike Vega told the outlet.
When the boy was in the cops’ safekeeping, he said: “Mommy drop me off and left me.”
Police noted that the boy had delayed speech, which made it difficult to obtain information from him — including his and his parents’ identities.
The next day, a school officer in the county recognized the boy on a “need to identify” flyer and informed the Miami Police Department.
Once they had a positive ID for the lost child, they were able to make contact with a witness who knew his mother, 30-year-old Annie Rivera.
The witness said she recently started housing Rivera and her son, but noticed the pair were missing around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. While Rivera was back by 6 a.m. Thursday, the boy was nowhere to be found.
Rivera was taken into custody hours later and charged with child neglect without bodily harm.
The boy was placed with the Florida Department of Children and Families.