The family of a man arrested after entering Eastchester High School triggering a lockdown earlier wants a fired security guard to get their job back.

The family says the 19-year-old has autism, which may explain why he ran into the high school as police responded to reports of a man oddly walking on White Plains Road.

A woman who News 12 is identifying as Kathy because she wishes to remain anonymous held up a sign outside the high school Friday morning in hopes the district would rehire the security guard, who buzzed the 19-year-old into the high school Wednesday - triggering a lockdown.

"He was let in by the guard because he knows him, and he knows he's a gentle kind soul," she said. The teen graduated from Eastchester High School last year and lives near Waverly Elementary.

Police say the Eastchester man also tried to enter Waverly Elementary last month.

Kathy says that, too, is a misunderstanding.

"I think he's scared, and that's when somebody will run to somewhere where there is love and its safe, because he's been there for four years," she says.