Police officer in China blasts out Peppa Pig cartoon theme from rooftop, locates missing autistic child after hours-long search
- Boy, 8, has intellectual disabilities, goes missing, mother frantic
- Search party lasts 6 hours, officer has musical light bulb moment
A young police officer in China who cleverly used music from the Peppa Pig cartoon to find a missing child has won widespread praise on mainland social media.
On February 16, police in southeastern China’s Jiangxi province received a call about an eight-year-old child with autism, surnamed Lu, who had gone missing from a residential complex.
An officer called Xu Haozhan promptly headed to the scene to begin a search.
“The child’s mother told us he has autism and some intellectual disabilities. We inquired about the child’s physical characteristics and what he was wearing, then started searching,” Xu told China Jiangxi radio and television station.
“Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras in that building, as well as the cameras in the lift, were broken, so we could not see whether he had gone out or where he might have gone,” Xu said.
Together with the property management company and Lu’s family, the officer embarked on an extensive search that lasted more than six hours, extending into the early hours of the next morning.
Despite their exhaustive efforts, the search proved fruitless, with Lu’s mother confirming she had thoroughly checked key locations such as stairwells and the rooftop, to no avail.
Faced with a deadlock, Xu took a moment to think strategically.
He speculated that the child might have climbed to the roof after returning home and finding nobody there.
Knowing that autistic children may not respond to conventional calling and that Lu enjoyed watching Peppa Pig, Xu decided to play the cartoon’s theme tune on the rooftop to attract the child’s attention.
“By that time it was very dark and we were getting no response when we called him, so we started playing the music and heard a very faint sound,” said Xu.
It was discovered that Lu had ventured alone to the rooftop, climbed the stairs there, fallen, and got trapped behind a surrounding three-metre-high wall.
Xu nimbly climbed over the wall and managed to lift Lu to safety, supported by the efforts of fellow rescuers.
A medical check-up showed the youngster was unharmed and he was returned to the safety of his family.
The creative and heartfelt rescue operation sparked a flood of commendations online.
“It’s Peppa Pig that finally did the work thanks to the police uncle trying many methods,” said one online observer.
“This smart and quick-thinking officer has a bright future ahead of him,” another person said.
“A true embodiment of dedication and responsibility, this act has vividly illustrated the mission of the people’s police. Thumbs up,” a third person added.
