BOSQUE FARMS, N.M. — A local mother is sharing her concerns after her child with special needs was able to run away from school and cross a busy highway. 

Mason Parea made it a little more than a mile off campus. Which might not sound like much, but Mason is just 9 years old, has autism and is non-verbal. 

KOB 4 took the path he did, going down Esperanza Drive, behind the Blake’s Lotaburger and Sonic’s until finally he crossed Highway 47.  

“It was just playing the worst scenarios in my head because the campus wasn’t secure. It just shouldn’t have happened,” Desire Perea said. 

Desire Perea is grateful, after her 9-year-old son had a close call earlier this month.

“It’s scary enough already sending him to school [with] him not being able to tell me what’s going on around him, and then something like this happens,” Perea said. 

Her son goes to Bosque Farms Elementary and was able to leave the campus around 11:50 a.m. Dec. 2.

“He got upset and just literally ran out the door,” Perea continued. “Once he got to the double doors, he immediately ran to the staff parking lot and pushed open the gate. The gate wasn’t locked. It wasn’t dummy locked. It was just open.” 

He ran all the way down Esperanza Drive, then behind the Blake’s Lotaburger and Sonic’s before reaching Highway 47.

“He had crossed the highway 47 he had crossed it and was close to being hit by multiple cars. A semi too was pretty close to hitting him, and he stopped in the emergency and in the middle of the lane,” Irvin Varela said.

18-year-old Irvin Varela was working construction nearby when he noticed Mason.

“I was like, this isn’t normal. I was like, I’m going to run after him. And I just remember him looking back at me and laughing, like if he was just messing around, and like, just running away. And I just kept running after him,” Varela said.

He and Mason ended up running about 100 yards, when Varela finally caught up to him and called 911 around 12:20 p.m.

“I just knew something was wrong because he couldn’t talk to me, he couldn’t communicate with me. All he all I understood was that he was saying to go home,” Varela explained. 

Mason has autism and is non-verbal, which his mom says adds yet another layer of worry.

“He could show signs of anger or emotions, but he can’t tell you if he’s mad or sad or what’s going on around him. He can’t tell me why he left the classroom,” Perea explained.

The school called Perea about an hour after they found Mason. Through a report, she found out the school resource officer wasn’t on campus at the time, and allegedly let the principal know. But Perea says that wasn’t enough because he didn’t secure the gates when he left.

“If you don’t want to be committed to your job, and you want to run personal errands on the clock, then don’t do this job. Like, just don’t do it. You know, like, these are our kids. These are our kids,” Perea said.

Bosque Farms Elementary is in Los Lunas Public Schools, KOB 4 reached out to them about what happened. 

Acting Superintendent Susan Chavez sent the following statement:

“We take our responsibility to protect the health and safety of our students very seriously. We continually review our practices and procedures to ensure that safety.”

Overall, Desire says she’s grateful Mason is OK, and she just wants parents and schools to use this close call as a sign to be more aware.