Casey Hathaway rescue: Three-year-old boy claims he was 'kept safe by bear' during two nights in woods

A three-year-old boy who survived two nights in sub-zero temperatures in the woods in US claimed a “friendly bear kept him safe.”

Casey Hathaway was playing with two other children at his grandmother’s home in Ernul, North Carolina, last Tuesday, but did not return inside with them.

He was found two days later stuck in a thorn bush a quarter-of-a-mile away by a search and rescue team, having spent 55 hours in freezing temperatures.

But he was “in good spirits” and is now recovering in hospital, according to Chocowinity EMS Captain Shane Grier.

Casey’s aunt Breanna Hathaway said in a Facebook post on Thursday that he had “hung out with a bear” after “God sent him a friend.”

She wrote: “Casey is healthy, smiling, and talking.

“He said he hung out with a bear for two days God sent him a friend to keep him safe.

“God is good God. Miracles do happen.”

His mother Brittany added: “'We just want to tell everybody that we're very thankful that you took the time out to come search for Casey and prayed for him, and he's good.

“He is good, he is up and talking. He's already asked to watch Netflix so he's good.”

Mr Grier told local news station WITN: “I don't think I was around anybody that wasn't crying [when we found him].

"He was heavily embedded in a briar thicket or a thorn thicket.

“We immediately grabbed the child up, escorted him out, and started transport to the hospital.

"You could tell he was very cold so we immediately started warming him up once we got him to the vehicle.

“The more we warmed him up, it seemed the better he got.

"The support we had from all these agencies, the community, everybody. It's overwhelming."

The Craven County Sheriff's Office said there was no evidence of any criminal activity.