A video (below) of a California recycling truck driver giving a toy to a 5-year-old boy with autism is touching hearts across the Internet.

In the video, a boy named Daniel Mulligan runs down the path from his Southern California home to greet the recycling truck that has arrived. He waves his hands rhythmically, matching the sounds and movements of the truck.

Just when it seems the job is done, the driver calls out and asks Daniel’s mom, “Can I ask you a question?”

Robin Newberger responds, “Yes.”

“Can I give him a present?”

Manuel Sanchez climbs out of his truck and brings Daniel a toy garbage truck. The boy looks overwhelmed and is speechless while the mom exclaims in an overjoyed voice, “That is so sweet! Thank you so much!”

Daniel’s mother posted the video on Facebook and it has been shared over 65,000 thousand times. News stations in the United States and as far away as Japan and Australia have picked up the clip.

Robin posted the video footage with the message: “One man, one moment, touching the life of an autistic child. Our hearts are overflowing.”

Robin goes onto explain that when she showed Daniel a video clip of a garbage truck on YouTube, he became obsessed and started waiting for the trucks to pull up in front of his house every Monday morning on trash day.

“To [Daniel], trash pickup is like a symphony,” she explains. “He synchronizes his hand movements with the truck. We have so many ‘Trash Day’ videos, but this one is like no other.”

Daniel’s favorite truck driver on trash morning is Manuel and over time the boy developed a relationship with him.

“[Manuel] always has a big smile for Daniel, who is faithfully waiting for him every Monday,” Robin writes.

Manuel drives for E.J. Harrison & Sons and the Ventura-based company recognized his thoughtful gesture with a restaurant gift certificate. He’ll also be featured in the next company newsletter.

“The company is very proud of Manuel,” Nan Drake, director of public relations and governmental affairs for E.J. Harrison & Sons, told SFGate. “He did something so remarkable without anyone asking him to do it.”

“He noticed this boy waiting for him every Monday morning and he bought him that toy truck with his own money,” she added.

Drake says children are enamored with garbage trucks and when she posted the video clip of Manuel on the company Facebook page, parents wrote in saying that their children love waving to the drivers.

Content Submission: Lucy Taylor – Source: blog.sfgate.com