Northern Nevadans may have gotten an early morning alert on your phone about two children being abducted on Wednesday.
Storey County and Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) sent out an AMBER Alert for two young children suspected of being abducted by their father in a big rig truck.
The emergency alert system was used to notify all local law enforcement, as well as local media and cell phones in the area, using the AMBER Alert system.
"It does great at getting the information out there, looking at the feeds and stuff. This thing went coast to coast in a matter of minutes once it was out there," said Storey County Sheriff, Gerald Antinoro.
Law enforcement agencies found 36-year-old Angel Medina shortly after in Sparks with the two children, and were able to take him into custody.
It's a situation that had a happy ending, but the nationwide AMBER Alert system could have been beneficial if Medina had decided to leave town.
“Had he been driving that whole time, he could have been on the West Coast, he could have been in Southern California, he could have been half way through Utah in the amount of time that transpired," said Sheriff Antinoro.
The system was put into place in Nevada in 2001 and has assisted in 59 cases involving 86 children, 76 of which were safely recovered. Nine children are in Mexico with non-custodial relatives. One child from a California case was found deceased near his home.
"If something happens like last night, if it gets done quickly, we find the kids. The public responds and we get the leads and the kids are ok and the kids are going back home," said Adrienne Abbot, Chair for the Nevada Emergency Alert System.
The system began in 1996 after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was kidnaped and killed in Texas. The program has saved the lives of more than 495 children nationwide and stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.
"AMBER Alerts are issued through the emergency alert system just like a flash flood warning or a severe flood warning or even the occasional tornado warning the Weather Service issues," said Abbot.
Officials ask to pay extra attention to your surroundings when an AMBER Alert goes out and no detail is too small.
“With cases like this, tips from the public are vital. If you see something suspicious, call 911, and your information could be the reason a child comes home," said Trooper Hannah DeGoey, Public Information Officer for NHP.
