A five-year-old Florida boy who had wandered away from his home early in the morning was found “happily enjoying his breakfast” at a nearby Chick-fil-A by officers, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) said.

Police in Jacksonville, Florida, turned up at a family's door earlier this summer to break some unexpected news: their 5-year-old had wandered off to Chick-fil-A by himself.

Chick-fil-A employees at a restaurant on San Jose Boulevard in Jacksonville called police after finding the boy, 5-year-old William, around 7 a.m. on June 24, according to a Sept. 3 news release from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO).

"You get that knot in your stomach because you know somebody else who's a parent is missing their child," Ryan Perri, a police officer with JSO District 3 who responded to the call, said in a video shared by the department.

After traversing nearby neighborhoods with William in their patrol car, officers found the boy's home and awoke his parents to the news.

"You could just see the look on his face. It would be for any parent, including myself, it's disbelief," Perri said.

In a statement shared with USA TODAY, Eric Gillis, local owner-operator of the Chick-fil-A restaurant involved in the incident, extended "sincere gratitude" for the officers who responded "for their swift, compassionate, and professional actions in ensuring his well-being."

“This heartwarming outcome truly reminds us of the strong community we are a part of, and we are so glad this story had such a happy ending," Gillis said.

Watch the video at the top of this story.

'Are you going to get me in jail?' 5-year-old asks police

In body camera footage from the incident shared by JSO, 5-year-old William is seen sitting at a booth inside the restaurant donning bare feet and a red sweater.

"As we walked in, we see a little kid sitting at a table eating his breakfast with one of the managers," Bryan Kelly, a police officer with JSO District 3 who responded alongside Perri, said in the video. "We asked where he came from, and he kept saying he walked to Chick-fil-A."

"Are you going to get me in jail?" William asked the officers as they led the boy out to their patrol car.

While William didn't know his address, he did tell officers that he lived on a nearby street in a home with a white fence outside. Once they found the home, Perri and Kelly climbed over the fence to bring the boy back to his parents.

"My initial thoughts were, I can't believe he came out of here," Perri said. "It's the most secure house on that block in reference to having a fence all the way around, front, back, sides."

'It's kind of scary,' parents say after son walks to Chick-fil-A alone

William's parents, identified by their first names Phil and Victoria, appeared surprised in body camera footage when police broke the news of their son's morning adventure.

"He was down at the Chick-fil-A," Perri said, to which Phil responded, "Are you kidding me?"

Victoria, William's mother, told police she believed he unlocked the front door of the house. He knew the route to Chick-fil-A because the family has walked to the restaurant before, she said.

"He said he opened the gate and couldn't find you all and went down the street," Kelly told the parents.

"It's kind of scary, actually, because we didn't realize what was going on until after we came out," Victoria said in an interview at the restaurant after the incident.

A reminder for parents

Christian Hancock, senior media relations manager for JSO, told USA TODAY that the police report from the incident indicated that the family was asleep when William left the house.

"I think it did shake him up some, so I don't think we really needed to, you know, impress too much that he shouldn't do it again, things like that," Phil, the boy's father, said in an interview afterwards. "I think he understood that it was serious, but we did talk about it."

Officials said they are using the incident as an example for other parents.

"To be clear: William’s parents are not in any trouble. They had several safety measures in place," JSO said in the news release. "But this is a good reminder to teach kids their home address, parents’ names, and a phone number. It could make a big difference in an emergency."

This story has been updated with additional information.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police find 5-year-old at Chick-fil-A. To parents' surprise, he walked there alone.

Reporting by Melina Khan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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