Cops: Brentwood boy found wandering outside own home

Police said a young child who was found walking alone in the frigid cold on a street in Brentwood early Tuesday was outside of his own home -- and had wandered out without his mother's knowledge.

The boy, 4, was returned to his family unharmed, Suffolk County police said. Police said no criminality was involved.

Police were alerted to the situation after a 911 caller reported finding the child wandering alone on Hilltop Drive near Mockingbird Place at 8:30 a.m. Police initially said the boy was 3 years old.

It was unclear how the child was dressed, but the National Weather Service reported temperatures in the area were hovering near the 20-degree mark -- with the wind chill making it feel closer to zero degrees.

Police said an investigation determined the boy was directly outside his own home and had somehow managed to wander outside without his family's knowledge.