BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) – An 8-year-old boy calmly called his mother on a cell phone then stayed on the line to describe his location to emergency personnel after his father had a medical emergency while driving on Saturday, state police said.

The boy called his mother at about 1:22 p.m. to tell her his father had become ill and that they were pulled over to the side of the road, state police said.

The mother contacted police, and by keeping lines of communication open, the boy was able to tell police the address of a nearby house and what roads they had been on, enabling police to quickly locate the vehicle in Bedford.

At about the same time, state police received a call reporting a car operating erratically in the same area.

The boy also had the presence of mind to remove the keys from the ignition, police said.

The boy’s father was taken to Lahey Clinic in Burlington for medical attention.

Because of medical privacy laws, state police were unable to make the names of the boy or his father public, and could not detail the nature of the medical emergency.