SAN ANTONIO -- A Judson Independent School District bus driver has been put on leave without pay after he accidentally dropped off a 13-year-old autistic boy in the wrong neighborhood Thursday.

Gage Schildrotch, who is severely autistic and can only communicate with limited sign language, was dropped off unattended in Live Oak after attending summer school.

Luckily, Doug Liberty, a mail carrier who has a background in law enforcement, saw Gage get off the bus and noticed something was wrong and immediately notified the boy's family.

"He's like our guardian angel," Althea Conklin, Gage's mother, said of Liberty. "Without him, I don't know what would've happened."

Conklin added that she signed paperwork filed with the school district notifying bus drivers and chaperones that her son is not to be left alone at any time.

"He's nonverbal, so he can't talk to you (and) tell you what's going on," she said.

Conklin said that the bus driver, who may face additional charges, repeatedly apologized to her about the incident.

Conklin hopes the incident will serve as a warning for people who work with special needs children to be more careful.