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Missing 5-year-old boy found in locked bus

Police searched for over four hours to find him
Posted at 8:32 PM, Sep 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-08 20:32:36-04

After searching for more than four hours, a missing Omaha 5 year old was found in a school bus.

Police were notified around 5 o'clock Wednesday evening after the little boy did not get off the school bus at his stop.  

The boy who is a student at Field Club Elementary usually takes the first bus home, but instead took the second bus home today.  His family became worried when he did not get off the bus and called police.

A search ensued near the family's home near 47th and Nichols, which included assistance from the Omaha Police helicopter Able 1, which searched for the boy from the sky.  Around 9 p.m., the little boy was found inside the bus at a bus garage near 24th & Fowler.  Police then brought the boy home for a tearful reunion with his parents. 

"I was very much thinking about him and I also feel that Samuel would be very hungry," his dad told KMTV through a translator.

The news came on the same night that OPS met to discuss other busing issues that have been in the headlines over the last few weeks.

OPS released a statement saying

"OPS became aware of this situation at approximately 6 p.m. We are relieved that the child was found safe. This was an OPS contracted van. The contractor is ENCAP. We expect our contractor to take appropriate action with the driver involved and to cooperate fully with law enforcement. We will take the appropriate steps to ensure that this does not happen again. OPS representatives have been in direct contact with the family. We will continue looking into this situation with the contractor to find out why this student was overlooked."

This is a developing story. Stay with kmtv.com for updates.

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