SUBJECT: Drone Helps Officers Quickly Locate Missing 10-Year-Old Student
LOCATION: 600 Block of Woodside Road, Redwood City
DATE/TIME: September 3, 2026, Approximately 11:10 A.M.
On September 3, 2026, the Redwood City Police Department responded to a local elementary school after staff reported that a 10-year-old student may have left the school grounds and could not immediately be located.
The student, who is non-verbal and requires additional assistance, could not immediately be located. Officers responded to the school and began searching classrooms and other areas of the campus to ensure the student had not hidden somewhere on school grounds.
In addition to the patrol officer response, RCPD’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) was launched and assisted with the search.
While officers searched the campus, Redwood City PD received a 911 call from a passerby reporting a young child running in and near traffic on Woodside Road near Wells Fargo. The caller did not know the child but recognized that he appeared young and may need assistance and contacted police.
The drone was immediately redirected to the area and quickly located the student running eastbound along Woodside Road. The drone maintained continuous visual contact with the student and provided responding officers with his location until they were able to safely reach him and prevent him from entering traffic again.
Officers remained with the student until his mother arrived. The student was checked and found to be unharmed before being safely reunited with his family.
The Redwood City Police Department would like to recognize the community member who saw something concerning and immediately called police. Their willingness to get involved, combined with the rapid response of officers, dispatchers, and the drone, helped bring this incident to a safe conclusion.
