Found Deceased NY - Avonte Oquendo, 14, Long Island City, 4 Oct 2013

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Avonte's brother seems to be on Twitter also.

About three hours ago, he tweeted that there were possible sightings on the C line in Brooklyn, and searchers were deploying to the trains.

Maybe Avonte did get into the subway and is riding the rails! He could have gotten onto an E train in Jamaica and switched to a C somewhere in Manhattan. I suppose he could have run from school to Court Square to get on the E train initially, or if he's really clever, could have slipped into the 7 at Vernon Jackson and transferred.

If that's true, he could be warm and dry, he might be able to find food and water there, and there's also some speculation he may have picked up a blue hoodie.

Fingers crossed that there's some good news tonight. I hope the MTA is being cooperative also, and putting the word out to their crews.
 
Special K said:
Avonte's brother seems to be on Twitter also.

About three hours ago, he tweeted that there were possible sightings on the C line in Brooklyn, and searchers were deploying to the trains.

Maybe Avonte did get into the subway and is riding the rails! He could have gotten onto an E train in Jamaica and switched to a C somewhere in Manhattan. I suppose he could have run from school to Court Square to get on the E train initially, or if he's really clever, could have slipped into the 7 at Vernon Jackson and transferred.

If that's true, he could be warm and dry, he might be able to find food and water there, and there's also some speculation he may have picked up a blue hoodie.

Fingers crossed that there's some good news tonight. I hope the MTA is being cooperative also, and putting the word out to their crews.
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Forgive me for asking this question as I have never ridden on a subway train before, do you pay when you get on or have to have a pass? How does that work?

Also, I wonder how far his home is from the school? How did he get to school? By car, subway? His mother would know what he might be capable of doing as far as the subway goes.
 
Plumeria5 said:
Forgive me for asking this question as I have never ridden on a subway train before, do you pay when you get on or have to have a pass? How does that work?

Also, I wonder how far his home is from the school? How did he get to school? By car, subway? His mother would know what he might be capable of doing as far as the subway goes.
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You swipe a card and go through a turnstile or meat grinder entrance. Vernon-Jackson, the closest station to Avonte's school, definitely has turnstiles. Most NYC kids are trained from a young age to duck under the turnstile and skip the fare until taller. My guess is Avonte could probably either duck under or climb over a turnstile easily and not think anything of it. Meat grinders are harder to beat.

Would be good to know what kind of commute he's capable of - even if he travels to school by bus, my guess is he probably knows how to get on a subway once he finds one.

Another thought: The 7 train tracks at Vernon are underground and hard to spot, but he could be attracted to the elevated tracks at Court Square, which has a transfer to the E. So if he was attracted to the elevated tracks, that could have been what landed him on the E/C trains. I'm not sure if Court Square has meat grinders or turnstiles, though.
 
Special K said:
You swipe a card and go through a turnstile or meat grinder entrance. Vernon-Jackson, the closest station to Avonte's school, definitely has turnstiles. Most NYC kids are trained from a young age to duck under the turnstile and skip the fare until taller. My guess is Avonte could probably either duck under or climb over a turnstile easily and not think anything of it. Meat grinders are harder to beat.

Would be good to know what kind of commute he's capable of - even if he travels to school by bus, my guess is he probably knows how to get on a subway once he finds one.

Another thought: The 7 train tracks at Vernon are underground and hard to spot, but he could be attracted to the elevated tracks at Court Square, which has a transfer to the E. So if he was attracted to the elevated tracks, that could have been what landed him on the E/C trains. I'm not sure if Court Square has meat grinders or turnstiles, though.
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Thanks for answering my question. Yes, I wonder how street savvy he is. Once on his own even mom might be surprised of how far he could stray away. As long as he wasn't attracted to the river.
 
Just watched the video again. The first time I watched I saw him run to his right along the sidewalk. The second time I looked more closely and saw him cross the street diagonally just above the crosswalk.
 
One of the links I read earlier said he had the mental ability of a 7yr old.. so keep that in mind, as well as being non verbal.

Praying he is found and SOON!!!

And I can't believe how fast he was on that video. Sprinting along like it was nothing!! BUT, I did notice he didn't stop before crossing that street. So no fear, or awareness of safety. Very concerning.
 
My son is autistic and he used to run like that. He wasn't trained to run or athletic at all but he had so much stamina!
 
CatFancier said:
My son is autistic and he used to run like that. He wasn't trained to run or athletic at all but he had so much stamina!
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JMO that maybe they feel trapped in their body and mind so running gives them the freedom they long for. It worries me that we have heard no reports of a boy darting through traffic. Where could he be?
 
More clues via his brother's Instagram - there were rumored sightings on the A and D trains earlier in the weekend.

There's some slight good news here - the A, C and D trains (all of which had suspected sightings) are easy transfers. He could have ridden up through Manhattan and switched trains at a platform or terminal to go from one line to the other, they all run on the same tracks for a while through Manhattan. (The E is part of that same "line", too - he wasn't spotted on the E, but it fits my earlier theory that he headed for visible above ground tracks).

All these sightings are definitely fitting a possible pattern. I hope all those trains are being searched thoroughly!
 
A new picture I hadn't seen of Avonte. Sweet boy. He looks so sad.
Please let him be found safe.

b78819d02fc611e3959322000a1f9d56_8.jpg
 
summer_breeze said:
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/10...stic-boy-in-queens-but-still-no-sign-of-teen/

October 8, 2013 7:19 AM
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In the article above it says Avonte "can't feed himself". I am unsure exactly what they mean by that. Do you think they are implying that even if really hungry he wouldn't put the food in his mouth himself? Or, that he wouldn't know to seek out food if he was hungry or thirsty? He disappeared after lunch so hopefully he did eat lunch on Friday but still, this is day 4.

And it is really helpful to know he has a good understanding of the subway system. Hopefully that is where he will be found.
 
AVONTE OQUENDO, Age Now: 14, Missing: 10/04/2013. Missing From ASTORIA, NY. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: New York City Police Department (New York) 1-718-520-9252.

Case Type: Endangered Missing

Circumstances: Avonte was last seen on October 4, 2013. He was last known to be wearing a grey striped shirt, black jeans, and black shoes. Avonte may be in need of medical attention.

More...

NCMC1223775c1.jpg
 
Autistic Boy, Missing from Queens Home Since Friday, Found in Harlem: Police

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Missing-Autistic-Boy-Found-Queens-Avonte-Oquendo-226943201.html

"A 14-year-old mute autistic boy who had been missing from his Queens home since Friday has been found.

Avonte Oquendo was last seen leaving Center Boulevard School in Long Island City at around 12:45 p.m. Friday. Surveillance video showed him running from the school. and his family had been pleading for help finding him.

The boy is said to be in good condition. He was found Tuesday afternoon in Harlem"
 
DPR4444 said:
Autistic Boy, Missing from Queens Home Since Friday, Found in Harlem: Police

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Missing-Autistic-Boy-Found-Queens-Avonte-Oquendo-226943201.html

"A 14-year-old mute autistic boy who had been missing from his Queens home since Friday has been found.

Avonte Oquendo was last seen leaving Center Boulevard School in Long Island City at around 12:45 p.m. Friday. Surveillance video showed him running from the school. and his family had been pleading for help finding him.

The boy is said to be in good condition. He was found Tuesday afternoon in Harlem"
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Yea!! Finally a happy ending!!

UPDATE: FAMILY SAYS BOY WAS NOT AVONTE AFTER ALL. =(
 
The family of a missing autistic boy was crushed Wednesday, after police thought they had found the boy and told the family so – but later announced they had actually found a different missing child.

Police said the young man they found in East Harlem had been missing since Tuesday morning. His identity has not been released.
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http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/10...stic-boy-in-queens-but-still-no-sign-of-teen/

The family must have been devastated by the news. I wonder if the other boy couldn't speak? Or maybe he was afraid and didn't tell the police his name right away. What a terrible mix-up
 
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