Garbage truck driver reunites lost child in Rowlett with parents
ROWLETT, Texas - A good Samaritan in the form of a garbage truck driver helped reunite a lost Rowlett child with his family.
Garbage truck driver to the rescue
What we know:
On July 22, 2026, Alberto Gutierrez and a trainee were driving their garbage truck through a Rowlett neighborhood on a routine route.
As the two drivers made a stop, they noticed a young child running in the middle of the street, calling for help.
Gutierrez got out of the truck and found the child was frightened after becoming separated from his family.
He comforted the child, and went door-to-door in the neighborhood to find the child's family. Gutierrez was eventually able to reunite the child with a relieved parent.
What they're saying:
"He starts running towards the truck. I got out, the kid was scared. He started crying, so I grabbed him and went looking for his mommy," Gutierrez tells FOX 4's Dionne Anglin.
Gutierrez has been a garbage truck driver for more than 30 years, and was in the middle of training Garcia when he noticed the child running towards him.
Alberto Gutierrez
His first concern was if the child's parents were OK.
"The way he came out running toward the middle of the street without looking, he started crying and everything, so that was my first reaction."
Gutierrez says the third house he checked was the right one. The child had gotten through a back door and got lost, according to the parent.
"It made me feel good that I was able to reunite that kid with his mom, and I was happy nothing happened to the kid and his parents. They were OK."
The Source: Information in this story comes from an interview with Alberto Gutierrez.