East St. Louis bus driver honored for rescuing toddler sitting alone near train tracks
MetroBus driver Nick Autoomp is being called a “hero” for taking quick action to protect a toddler who was sitting alone near MetroLink tracks in East St. Louis.
The board of commissioners for Bi-State Development, an umbrella agency that includes Metro Transit, presented the East St. Louis man with a proclamation for exceptional service during its June 25 meeting, according to a news release.
“We expect good work from our employees in the field, but when somebody does something exceptional, it deserves special recognition,” said board Vice Chair Justin Zimmerman. “What Nick did was heroic. It was very brave.”
Autoomp was driving the No. 8 Alta Sita bus route on April 17, when he noticed the boy, estimated at 2 years old, sitting alone in a vacant lot along North 18th Street, near MetroLink tracks. The child was wearing only a diaper, despite unseasonably low temperatures.
“Remembering his training, Autoomp immediately stopped his bus and sprang into action to rescue the young boy, getting him out of the weather and onto the safety of the bus where he wrapped him in his coat to warm him,” the news release stated.
Autoomp reportedly contacted the MetroBus Operations Center, which alerted local police, before comforting the toddler, giving him water and chips from his own packed lunch.
“Another motorist who also saw the child in the field stopped and wanted to put the boy in his car, but Autoomp was determined to protect the child until police arrived and could reunite him with his family,” the news release stated.
No information was provided on why the toddler was alone. He eventually was turned over to his mother.
Autoomp has worked six years for Metro Transit, according to the news release.
“It was heart-breaking to see that child all alone,” he said. “I have a daughter who is a little bit older than him. The bus is a safe haven. I am not a hero. I was just doing what I thought was the right thing to do.”
Metro Transit vehicles are designated as “safe places” for children and adults who need help in St. Louis and the metro-east.
Taulby Roach, Bi-State president and CEO, called Autoomp’s actions “above and beyond the call of duty.”
“We ask our operators to show up every day, and they do in what are difficult circumstances,” he said. “I want to remind everyone it is not easy to operate our machinery, and we have hundreds of team members who do that every single day.
“In this case, Nick really went above and beyond, showing compassion, reaching out to the humanity of our customers and even those who may not be our customers in a really extraordinary action.”
This story was originally published July 4, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
