Snowplow drivers are the heroes of winter (well, unless they drive by when you’ve just finished shoveling the bottom of your driveway).

But in February of 2021, a man named David Gehrke became a life-saving hero to a 5-year-old boy in West Bend, Wisconsin.

Little wanderer

Maddox Pierce wandered out of his home in the middle of a freezing cold winter night.

“It was snowing, blowing and miserable,” Gehrke told WISN News.

Around 4 am, he was clearing streets when he was something small and moving by his wing blade and quickly realized what was going on.

“I realized that was not a dog or a deer, that was a small little boy just dressed in a pair of zip-up onesie pajammies,” Gehrke said. “The light on the side of my truck illuminated him. At 4 a.m., what is he doing out here?”

Maddox could have easily frozen to death – he had gotten out of the house without anyone noticing and didn’t think to put on a jacket, a hat, or even shoes! He was found close to home, but that hardly matters considering how quickly the cold weather can do harm.

Making the save

As Gehrke drove by, the little boy looked up at him. Of course, he stopped his truck after that, brought the boy to safety, tried to warm him up, and called the police.

“I immediately took my jacket off and wrapped it around him and put him in the truck,” he said. “I called police dispatch. I got the heat blasting in the truck. I’ll keep him warm until we get help on the way.”

When officers arrived at the scene, they bundled Maddox into their cruiser and drove him home. In the meantime, they asked him what caused him to leave.

Late-night fears

People are quick to criticize parents in situations like this, but the boy told them he woke up and was afraid that he was all alone in the house (which he was not) and got scared. That’s when he decided to walk to his grandfather’s house.

Maddox’s mom Brittany Weissenburger was working at the time and had no idea her little boy had decided to get out of bed and walk out the door. His 14-year-old aunt was in the house babysitting, but obviously asleep so early in the morning.

It’s a parents’ nightmare – and one Weissenburger won’t soon get over even though her son is ok.

“I’ve been a mess since everything happened,” Weissenburger said. “He’s never ever done anything like that before.”

A grateful mother

Weissenburger told the news that she was extremely grateful Gehrke saved her son.

“I’m so thankful. Like, what are the odds he would find him at that exact moment, that he pretty much came outside.He just exited our townhouse, walked down the road a little bit and he was found.”

When she talked to her son about what motivated him to do something so dangerous early in the morning, he had a 5-year-old’s answer: “Just (going) for a walk,” he told her.

Gehrke is just glad he was in the right place at the right time and alert enough to see the little boy.

“We see strange things, but this was a life-threatening situation,” Gehrke said.

West Bend police gave Gehrke a certificate of appreciation, but he said “the biggest reward I got is when I handed that child to the police officer to know that child is safe.”

Never again

Weissenburger is making sure her son can never wander off again.

“I just bought a bunch of alarms, cameras,” she assured the local news.

Police filed no charges because they said nothing criminal happened and Maddox was not injured.

Be sure to scroll down below to hear about the story from the adults involved.

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Source: YouTube- WISN 12 News, Facebook – David Gherke, WISN News