Victorian police asked local residents to help him remove him from the bushes by playing music from the “Thomas Tank Engine” show and leaving food and water for him.
Gibbs told 9Hews that he knew the land very well and found the boy after going a little beyond the search area scanned by rescuers.
“It was about 15 meters away from me,” Gibbs said to the station. “He was really an angel, just standing and staring.”
Gibbs said that Will did not wear shoes, he wore socks. He also gave the boy some chocolate and talked to him about Tank Engine Thomas.
Will reunited with his family and was taken to a tent where he was treated by paramedics. He was then taken to a hospital, where an official said he performed relatively well and should be able to return home until Wednesday evening.
Penny Callaghan thanked everyone for finding her son. He told reporters that Will was “quite calm”, but also communicated. “Confused and scared.”
“I can’t imagine what happened,” he said. “I am so grateful and relieved. He is just a very special person.”
CNN’s Carly Walsh contributed to this report.
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