Heroic Dad Who Helped Save Boy After He Wandered Onto Hersheypark Monorail Tracks Speaks Out

All parents know that it takes just a split second for a child to crawl into the next room or disappear into a crowd—or even to climb a towering monorail, apparently.

Fortunately for one young boy in Pennsylvania last weekend, fellow father John Sampson was thinking on his feet and ready to take action.

A young boy was reported missing around 5:00 PM with people actively looking for him. He wasn't found sooner because he had snuck into a monorail ride, which was closed to the public.

Visitors at Hersheypark gathered and panicked when he walked out on the suspended monorail—approximately 100 feet in the ai—from which he could have easily fallen and landed either in the crowd or on the pavement.

Sampson was quick to take action, running through the crowd and scaling a nearby vendor building. He slammed his hands on the railing, encouraging the boy to focus on him and come closer. When the boy wouldn't come all the way to him, Sampson jumped up and pulled himself up onto the railing, where the boy was quick to run into his arms.

Another man had followed Sampson and was waiting on the adjacent building to help bring the boy to safety.

You can see a video that captured the incident here:

Sampson was dismissive of his efforts, claiming that instincts just kicked in.

"Dad instincts kicked in! Then [I was] just trying to figure things out and how to get up there as fast as possible."

"I felt relief, absolute relief, and even I could feel it in him, the relief as soon as he got into my arms."

"Thank goodness he came straight into my arms, and it went nice and simple in that sense."

Some viewers were shocked that this even happened.

But others applauded Sampson for stepping in and helping the young boy.

Hersheypark officials were quick to respond to the incident, including Sampson's heroics.

"We are grateful for the vigilance of our guests and the swift response of our team, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest levels of guest safety throughout Hersheypark."

You can view additional coverage here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

From Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Sampson is being viewed as a hero for acting so quickly and for climbing out on the railing himself to save the young boy.