I noticed that he was not 16 at the time, ?or now for that matter? , but he drove to the bus stop. We used to do that because the driveway seemed like a mile and we had a farm beater.
I thought about how many times people didn't come forward in cases where they thought they might get into trouble, kids are like that, adults too. In this case I don't think this kid would have ever gotten in trouble but I know some may have been reluctant to say anything in front of uniformed officers for fear of reprisal.
This kid did the right thing and certainly deserves the gift. He is solely responsible for the freedom of two young people that otherwise would've been imprisoned by mental anguish forever or possibly dead. The third boy that this guy is suspected of kidnapping has not been found. He fit into this wacko's target abductee.