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Oh good Lord. I played outside by myself for hours at that age. What a dipstick of a neighbor. Invite the boy in for a lemonade if you are so worried about him!
This. ^^^^
If I noticed kids in the yard for over an hour around the 4-6pm mark, I would just check on them periodically, maybe offer them a bottle of water, maybe even invite them inside to wait for their parents...I'd expect them to refuse. But calling the cops? Most likely not.
This past year we started letting my son (who turned 12 in April) take the bus home after school, instead of going to the after school program. A) He and his friends were miserable, and B) most of his friends were starting to do the same. In short he was only home by himself for about 3 hours in the evening. He has a key, and would call everyday when he got home. I also have 2 neighbors that have a spare key, and another hidden on my property. With summer vacation he is home 3 days all day, and the rules are no outside other than to sit on the patio. The other 2 days my wife works from home, and so he is able to go outside and play more. My mom let me start staying home at 11 and 12, so I see no issue with my kid being able to do so, given that both my wife and I need to work.
In this case the damn busy body neighbors need to mind their own business! WTF is wrong with people in this day and age?
I'm getting tired of reading articles where people think they know what's best for other peoples children. This kid was in his own backyard and he was playing with something other than video games or an iPad. I would've been thrilled!
If the neighbor was so concerned why didn't they ask the child where his parents were? If the kid said he was locked out, why not offer to let him hang out at your house or use your phone or whatever? Or don't say anything but just keep an eye out for him? Geez..
If the mom was delayed because of rain, it doesn't sound too good that the kids were stuck outside. She should hide a key or something to prevent this from occurring.
I'm all for "free range" parenting, but in this case it does sound like the parents messed up.
It sounds like his being alone wasn't a problem, it was that he couldn't get inside if he needed to use the bathroom, get a drink, shelter from the heat, etc. A promise to hide a key somewhere and post an emergency number or two if needed should have been the end of it.
Yeah, but who doesn't have an outside faucet? Some shade. And in an emergency situation, well the cop tinkled outside. I don't think 1 1/2 hrs. exposure to the out of doors in suburbia is going to kill anyone.
I guess they would have just strung me up if people had those attitudes back when mine were young. When my boys were that age they went outside for hours, over the bluff, down into the gorge and played in the woods, same places I use to play. Good Lord we use to drink water that came right out from an underground spring in the caves and pee right on the ground. Grandma would say, now you children stay away from those bobcat dens. She was more concerned that we washed our hands so we wouldn't get worms.
If the mom was delayed because of rain, it doesn't sound too good that the kids were stuck outside. She should hide a key or something to prevent this from occurring.
I'm all for "free range" parenting, but in this case it does sound like the parents messed up.
He was outside playing bb so it couldn't have been raining much. If weather is anything like here it could be raining in one spot and not the other. A hidden key is always a good idea tho.
What a crock about his not having "access to water."
I hope an attorney represents these parents pro bono. Are parents of kids playing basketball in the city all night arrested? How about parents of truant kids? And kids who are supposedly "going to school hungry?"
The only thing more outrageous than this would be parents who tolerate it.
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Are parents of kids playing basketball in the city all night arrested? How about parents of truant kids? 
