Found Safe UK - Antonino Coppola, 23, from Richmond, Surrey, missing from Bow, East London, 16 Sep 2021

[SaintGertrude]

Slightly off topic, but maybe worth mentioning : has anyone else noticed how high out of his left pocket his phone is?
If that is his phone that is. But I do recall him having a white phone from a couple of selfies.

It looks like he has his hand in his pocket beforehand. It appears that there is something like a bulky object (possible mobile phone) in his pocket. This could be just how he is walking.

 

[AcbMurders]

Chi l'ha visto? 2021/22 - Cosa si nasconde dietro la scomparsa di Antonino Coppola a Londra? - 29/09/2021 - Video - RaiPlay

Translation

Federica Sciarelli, programme anchor:

We told you about this young man, Antonino, who felt unwell leaving a tube station. This is how his story and disappearance began. Antonino could be anywhere. Last Wednesday his mum was with us making an appeal. It made an impression on you and you have really done everything to bring this young man back to Positano. Although he went missing a long way away, in London. So there’s still a lot to do and we are trying, with you, to find Antonino. With Emily de Cesare (EdC) and Andrea Perini.

Journalist Emily de Cesare narrating:

London: a capital city with nearly ten million inhabitants, with people of all nationalities coming and going. Life moves at a frenetic pace, and you are often surrounded by the indifference of those walking past you. But even here it is impossible for a young man to feel unwell in the street, in broad daylight and then vanish into thin air. Gone, disappeared within a few minutes. This handsome guy making fettuccine [homemade noodles] is Antonino. 13 days have passed and no trace of him. The lovely voice and laughter you can hear are mum Mariella’s: “Today: fettuccine! Hi Tony!” The same distraught woman who last week appealed live to all mothers like her, to try and find her son who disappeared in London on 16th September near Bow Road station:

[extract from appeal of 22/9/21].
Mariella: I’m asking for everyone’s help… really… all mums in London, passersby…​

Antonino, 23, was born and bred in Positano, a little pocket of paradise on the Amalfi coast. At the age of 18, he decided to leave and gain experience abroad.

Mariella: He has travelled. He went to Australia before he turned 19 and stayed there for six months. He's smart, he knows how to relate to people, he's outgoing.​

Antonino speaks English very well. He has been living in London for two years. He works in catering as restaurant assistant manager. The day he went missing he was with his friend Ciro, also from Positano. We see them together here, joking in front of the camera. Since Antonino arrived in London, they have always been flat mates. The day he went missing, they were moving house. Together they took the subway and had their suitcases with them; they were going to the Bromley-by-Bow area. Along the way, Antonino felt unwell and they stopped at Bow Road station. Ciro, Antonino’s pal, explained to us on the phone why he did not go with him:

C.: He said "don't come with me or you'll have to take the luggage with you". I waited on the platform. Half-an-hour, 25 mins later, I started to worried and I went out with all the luggage.​

What we know for sure is that Antonino got out of the subway, as he was caught on camera. It was 12.48. He turned right and went in this direction and then vanished into thin air. This is a semi-central district in east London. As you can see, there are a lot of people around, it’s a very busy area. Ciro saw the images of the CCTV cameras that filmed Antonino. Let’s hear what he told us:

C.: In the first camera where we could see Antonino, you can see he vomits, lifts his head, walks and turns round. Because there you see that he vomits but afterwards it's as if he turns is head for fear that people might have seen him vomiting. But why did he not return to the station after vomiting?​

So, Antonino was very sick once he got out of the subway. Seemingly, he threw up. Why did he not go back and rejoin his friend who was waiting for him? Maybe he was still too sick and wandered off to ask for help. And then? CCTV cameras show that he was carrying his backpack, which had documents, phone and wallet inside. He might have lost it and perhaps he had no ID on him. If anyone finds the backpack, it would be very important to get in touch with us. Or did someone take advantage of him feeling ill, and he was robbed and hurt? There are many hypotheses, but the main question is still the same: where is Antonino?

British newspapers, such as the Mirror, immediately published the news of his disappearance. Antonino's friends from Positano have all tried to share his photo as much as possible on social media. Even his friend Ciro has launched an appeal on Instagram. Several leaflets like this have appeared in London. The response from CHLV viewers has also been prompt. So many of you have written to us: some have offered to help with the search, others have called our switchboard on the night of the live broadcast, offering immediate assistance. As far as we know, hospitals have been checked, but no trace of Antonino. Unfortunately, despite great efforts from everyone, there have been no sightings. Antonino can’t have been swallowed by this city. He was sick, maybe he no longer had his ID documents on him. But even if something bad happened to him, someone would have found him. How can someone feel unwell, and not only they are not helped, but they even manage to disappear before everyone's eyes and without anyone noticing anything? Antonino must be found.

Mariella: As a mum, I'd ask anyone who happened to be in the area and saw Antonino leaving the station, feeling unwell, please call. Put yourself in my shoes, please... anyone who maybe now looks at Antonino's photo, if they have seen him, please call.​

We too renew the appeal to all of you who are following us. London is a metropolis. Antonino is somewhere and you may be able to help the family find out what happened. What lies behind the mystery of this disappearance?

 

[Angleterre]

Thank you for clarifying that. That makes me a lot happier to know that. It's strange because @Angleterre (also Verified Law Enforcement) agreed with me in one of the posts. I'm having trouble linking the names successfully the past few weeks so not sure if Angleterre will read this or not.

I disagree with Whitehall1212 albeit respectfully because we have a huge respect for each other’s experiences as Police Officers
The Threat Harm Risk etc can still be played ‘ lip service’ to and still often is unless there’s glaring risk but even then not always. I speak from experience from a recent occurrence with children at risk through severe domestic violence and the Threat Harm Risk was still put in a low category. It depends on the person completing the risk assessment and how they interpret the information given and how that information is developed further. Plus there are 43 forces just in England and Wales ( not including Scotland and Northern Ireland) all doing their own interpretations of the Threat Harm Risk etc
Put it this way, I will put my neck on the line and say that females and children are often given far more priority when missing than a male ( as stated above unless it’s a glaringly obvious risk ). The fact is that there will be Officers who will judge this to be a ploy to get away from his friend even when you can see him vomiting on cctv , the belief will be questioned as to why when vomiting does he look back towards the cameras , or has he actually vomited but used this opportunity to not return to his friend, possibly feeling he can get further away when alone and not dragging suitcases with his friend etc
And because there’s doubt , there will be an element of let’s do the basics and revisit it in 48 hours if nothing further materialises . I’m not saying this is what I would do and how I would approach it as a police officer and clearly it has been given priority as it should be if it’s very unusual for him to disappear and not check in with his family . I am talking generally about a lot of male disappearances but have used AC’s disappearance as an example as to why it may not otherwise have been judged as a priority if it was risk assessed by a different officer . I hope I’m making sense . If not, PM me so as not to go OT with the thread and the intention which is to find AC asap x
All MOO

 

[Angleterre]

@Angleterre : In your experience, is there anything more we can read between the lines of this latest police appeal?

No it’s a straightforward appeal for information and sightings of AC.
It will be interesting what comes from the appeal though xx

 

[Angleterre]

At first I thought it was genuine about feeling unwell and thought he had an acute appendix situation but as time has gone on its my opinion he made a sudden departure on purpose. The question is why? JMO MOO Edited to ask, are you thinking he hopped into a car that picked him up, on purpose? I have a feeling there is something very 'underworld' about this case. Again JMO MOO>

I have had similar questions running around in my mind x

 

[Officer Dibble]

I have had similar questions running around in my mind x

I wrote this before someone came in and gave us the low-down on the situation from back home. Many posts were removed by Admin/Mods. Have you been in here this week?

 

[Officer Dibble]

Chi l'ha visto? 2021/22 - Cosa si nasconde dietro la scomparsa di Antonino Coppola a Londra? - 29/09/2021 - Video - RaiPlay

Translation

Federica Sciarelli, programme anchor:

We told you about this young man, Antonino, who felt unwell leaving a tube station. This is how his story and disappearance began. Antonino could be anywhere. Last Wednesday his mum was with us making an appeal. It made an impression on you and you have really done everything to bring this young man back to Positano. Although he went missing a long way away, in London. So there’s still a lot to do and we are trying, with you, to find Antonino. With Emily de Cesare (EdC) and Andrea Perini.

Journalist Emily de Cesare narrating:

London: a capital city with nearly ten million inhabitants, with people of all nationalities coming and going. Life moves at a frenetic pace, and you are often surrounded by the indifference of those walking past you. But even here it is impossible for a young man to feel unwell in the street, in broad daylight and then vanish into thin air. Gone, disappeared within a few minutes. This handsome guy making fettuccine [homemade noodles] is Antonino. 13 days have passed and no trace of him. The lovely voice and laughter you can hear are mum Mariella’s: “Today: fettuccine! Hi Tony!” The same distraught woman who last week appealed live to all mothers like her, to try and find her son who disappeared in London on 16th September near Bow Road station:

[extract from appeal of 22/9/21].
Mariella: I’m asking for everyone’s help… really… all mums in London, passersby…​

Antonino, 23, was born and bred in Positano, a little pocket of paradise on the Amalfi coast. At the age of 18, he decided to leave and gain experience abroad.

Mariella: He has travelled. He went to Australia before he turned 19 and stayed there for six months. He's smart, he knows how to relate to people, he's outgoing.​

Antonino speaks English very well. He has been living in London for two years. He works in catering as restaurant assistant manager. The day he went missing he was with his friend Ciro, also from Positano. We see them together here, joking in front of the camera. Since Antonino arrived in London, they have always been flat mates. The day he went missing, they were moving house. Together they took the subway and had their suitcases with them; they were going to the Bromley-by-Bow area. Along the way, Antonino felt unwell and they stopped at Bow Road station. Ciro, Antonino’s pal, explained to us on the phone why he did not go with him:

C.: He said "don't come with me or you'll have to take the luggage with you". I waited on the platform. Half-an-hour, 25 mins later, I started to worried and I went out with all the luggage.​

What we know for sure is that Antonino got out of the subway, as he was caught on camera. It was 12.48. He turned right and went in this direction and then vanished into thin air. This is a semi-central district in east London. As you can see, there are a lot of people around, it’s a very busy area. Ciro saw the images of the CCTV cameras that filmed Antonino. Let’s hear what he told us:

C.: In the first camera where we could see Antonino, you can see he vomits, lifts his head, walks and turns round. Because there you see that he vomits but afterwards it's as if he turns is head for fear that people might have seen him vomiting. But why did he not return to the station after vomiting?​

So, Antonino was very sick once he got out of the subway. Seemingly, he threw up. Why did he not go back and rejoin his friend who was waiting for him? Maybe he was still too sick and wandered off to ask for help. And then? CCTV cameras show that he was carrying his backpack, which had documents, phone and wallet inside. He might have lost it and perhaps he had no ID on him. If anyone finds the backpack, it would be very important to get in touch with us. Or did someone take advantage of him feeling ill, and he was robbed and hurt? There are many hypotheses, but the main question is still the same: where is Antonino?

British newspapers, such as the Mirror, immediately published the news of his disappearance. Antonino's friends from Positano have all tried to share his photo as much as possible on social media. Even his friend Ciro has launched an appeal on Instagram. Several leaflets like this have appeared in London. The response from CHLV viewers has also been prompt. So many of you have written to us: some have offered to help with the search, others have called our switchboard on the night of the live broadcast, offering immediate assistance. As far as we know, hospitals have been checked, but no trace of Antonino. Unfortunately, despite great efforts from everyone, there have been no sightings. Antonino can’t have been swallowed by this city. He was sick, maybe he no longer had his ID documents on him. But even if something bad happened to him, someone would have found him. How can someone feel unwell, and not only they are not helped, but they even manage to disappear before everyone's eyes and without anyone noticing anything? Antonino must be found.

Mariella: As a mum, I'd ask anyone who happened to be in the area and saw Antonino leaving the station, feeling unwell, please call. Put yourself in my shoes, please... anyone who maybe now looks at Antonino's photo, if they have seen him, please call.​

We too renew the appeal to all of you who are following us. London is a metropolis. Antonino is somewhere and you may be able to help the family find out what happened. What lies behind the mystery of this disappearance?

Thank you so much for translating this and writing it all down. So the precise time is not 1pm (13:00) anymore but 12:48. I hadn't realised this until now.

 

[Angleterre]

I wrote this before someone came in and gave us the low-down on the situation from back home. Many posts were removed by Admin/Mods. Have you been in here this week?

No unfortunately not so I missed that but I can guess tbh x

 

[Caroclaud]

I'm perhaps thinking the change of job was to do with the post-Covid shake-up?

Perhaps his assistant managers job (assistant manager of what?) was on furlough, and he didn't really work through most of the lockdowns etc.
Perhaps this new waiter job meant not as much income as before, and he couldn't afford to live in Richmond, Surrey anymore (it's a very expensive place to rent and live.)

By contrast, Bromley-by-Bow is in East London, and like many areas of East London has a reputation that isn't the best, although there has been some gentrification in recent years. Most areas have many Indian/Pakistani/Asian immigrants and these areas would offer much cheaper accommodation, and also easier commuting to the city centre than Richmond would.

Perhaps he was too nervous and anxious about the new job, new rental house, new area and total upheaval of his life and just wanted some time away? The pandemic has been tough on some people.

Also, just a thought: is Ciro just a friend/buddy, or is he a boyfriend/partner? I'm wondering if his love life was in a bit of turmoil too?

Whatever the reason, I think it was a planned disappearance, and what better way to do it than just before you start a new job and new place to live. It's easier that way....you're in between commitments.

I just wish he'd ring his Mama and tell her he's safe, but maybe he feels too ashamed?

MOO.

Feels such a huge coincidence that they were virtually at the stop they needed, but he urgently needed to get off the train ‘to be ill’.

Maybe this felt like his last chance to escape from his friend or partner/ Moving into somewhere he didn’t want to go. So he quickly came up with a plan to just leave it all behind.

I don’t think we have heard much about his friend and their actual relationship, but given the fact that Antonio walked up the stairs quickly and seemingly fine, it doesn’t look like illness was so urgent that he had to vacate the train.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Feels such a huge coincidence that they were virtually at the stop they needed, but he urgently needed to get off the train ‘to be ill’.

Maybe this felt like his last chance to escape from his friend or partner/ Moving into somewhere he didn’t want to go. So he quickly came up with a plan to just leave it all behind.

I don’t think we have heard much about his friend and their actual relationship, but given the fact that Antonio walked up the stairs quickly and seemingly fine, it doesn’t look like illness was so urgent that he had to vacate the train.

You could be right. If AC needed something (unmentionable) that his travelling companion was trying to protect him from, maybe AC saw his opportunity and went for it and now either AC is voluntarily missing or has come into contact with nefarious person/people and hence he is missing.

 

[infinit]

Feels such a huge coincidence that they were virtually at the stop they needed, but he urgently needed to get off the train ‘to be ill’.

Maybe this felt like his last chance to escape from his friend or partner/ Moving into somewhere he didn’t want to go. So he quickly came up with a plan to just leave it all behind.

I don’t think we have heard much about his friend and their actual relationship, but given the fact that Antonio walked up the stairs quickly and seemingly fine, it doesn’t look like illness was so urgent that he had to vacate the train.

It just seems odd to me. Almost like it was decided while on the Tube, perhaps something about the moving, new job etc that he had issues with and the long Tube ride gave him thinking time?

It doesn't come across to me like this was planned ahead of time with the intention of disappearing or getting away on his own. He could have created situations where he'd have a lot more time before the alarm was raised and where he could have taken more stuff. He's wearing a t-shirt, London has had a lot of rain since and the temps are dropping. He's not dressed or prepped for roughing it out. Unless he was carrying a lot of cash or there has been subsequent activity on his cards, I don't see how he'd be surviving without the assistance of others unless he'd prepped some kind of stash ahead of time, but it doesn't fit with the nature of the disappearance IMO. Does he have other friends in London he could potentially be crashing at? Could he have potentially returned to Italy? The longer this goes on the more I think a 3rd party has to be helping him if he's intentionally disappeared.

 

[Angleterre]

It just seems odd to me. Almost like it was decided while on the Tube, perhaps something about the moving, new job etc that he had issues with and the long Tube ride gave him thinking time?

It doesn't come across to me like this was planned ahead of time with the intention of disappearing or getting away on his own. He could have created situations where he'd have a lot more time before the alarm was raised and where he could have taken more stuff. He's wearing a t-shirt, London has had a lot of rain since and the temps are dropping. He's not dressed or prepped for roughing it out. Unless he was carrying a lot of cash or there has been subsequent activity on his cards, I don't see how he'd be surviving without the assistance of others unless he'd prepped some kind of stash ahead of time, but it doesn't fit with the nature of the disappearance IMO. Does he have other friends in London he could potentially be crashing at? Could he have potentially returned to Italy? The longer this goes on the more I think a 3rd party has to be helping him if he's intentionally disappeared.

Maybe, just maybe he didn’t have the time to prepare and plan his disappearance- maybe it was forced upon him due to pressure from others and he just had to flee before he was caught ? Maybe he’s had threats to his life. As the saying goes
“ If you find out how he lived then you will find out why he disappeared or (my apologies) you will find out if he’s died / how he’s died . I don’t get the impression that he’s as innocent as his parents first thought . In fact hasn’t someone said in a post that his Dad has found out things that he just wouldn’t have expected from his son? Or words to that effect…..
This is all MOO/JMOO

 

[Gia86]

Maybe, just maybe he didn’t have the time to prepare and plan his disappearance- maybe it was forced upon him due to pressure from others and he just had to flee before he was caught ? Maybe he’s had threats to his life. As the saying goes
“ If you find out how he lived then you will find out why he disappeared or (my apologies) you will find out if he’s died / how he’s died . I don’t get the impression that he’s as innocent as his parents first thought . In fact hasn’t someone said in a post that his Dad has found out things that he just wouldn’t have expected from his son? Or words to that effect…..
This is all MOO/JMOO

Many of us have "skeletons in the closet"...
Especially our parents might have an idea of us which is not really accurate. We wanna show them how proud they are of us, we just wanna show them the good and obviously hide our secrets from them which is fair enough. They don't need to know everything about us.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Maybe, just maybe he didn’t have the time to prepare and plan his disappearance- maybe it was forced upon him due to pressure from others and he just had to flee before he was caught ? Maybe he’s had threats to his life. As the saying goes
“ If you find out how he lived then you will find out why he disappeared or (my apologies) you will find out if he’s died / how he’s died . I don’t get the impression that he’s as innocent as his parents first thought . In fact hasn’t someone said in a post that his Dad has found out things that he just wouldn’t have expected from his son? Or words to that effect…..
This is all MOO/JMOO

Could the glancing back after 'vomiting' be to check his friend wasn't following him or could it be that he saw someone on the train/platform and ran for his life, but terrified he felt sick? Or could he have received a phone call (I believe that part of the underground is in fact overground?) to say someone is after him or waiting for him at the other end of his journey? JMO MOO.

 

[Whitehall 1212]

Could the glancing back after 'vomiting' be to check his friend wasn't following him or could it be that he saw someone on the train/platform and ran for his life, but terrified he felt sick? Or could he have received a phone call (I believe that part of the underground is in fact overground?) to say someone is after him or waiting for him at the other end of his journey? JMO MOO.

I believe the train becomes overground just at it enters the Bow Road station, so no real time for a phone call.

However maybe just enough time for a delayed text or encrypted message to be received.....to prompt enough fear to feel sick and alight from the train in a hurry.

Possibly a warning from a 'friendly' near Bromley-by-Bow that people were waiting for/looking for him!

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

Wonder if LE got CCTV from Bromley-by-Bow then? Would that be done as a matter of routine, given that they presumably didn’t end up there (at least for some time)

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

SBM

Thanks for this update @AcbMurders.

I feel like this is a bit of a gamechanger. We've been speculating that he left the immediate station area because he was looking for a toilet or somewhere private to be sick, but we now know that actually he was sick involuntarily almost immediately he got to the street.

Now, in my experience, being sick either leaves you feeling better (usually if you ate something bad) or much worse. If it helped, and he felt some relief, I'd expect him to go back to his friend, perhaps after a bit of a pause to regroup or a detour to the news kiosk for a bottle of water. If he felt more dire still, then tbh I'd expect him to stay pretty much put. In his shoes, I'd be keeping as still as possible, because movement would make it more likely I'd be sick again, and because if I was feeling that bad I'd appreciate some help, which I'd expect to find more easily at a station, especially knowing my friend was near at hand and would come eventually, than randomly on the street.

But he doesn't do either of those things. He turns right and keeps moving, we don't know where to. I've never really thought this was a voluntary disappearance, and the fact he's seen on CCTV vomiting (i.e. not a 'ruse') seems to corroborate that, but I feel that the decision to leave the station area is an odd one.

I have new questions, some for sleuthers, some for friends/family, some probably rhetorical:

• Is Bow Road station manned? Ticket office? Someone on the barriers? Was help at hand if he had sought it and if so why didn't he?
• If we look at google streetview, where's the first place he would have found a bench or similar?
• Has anyone asked at the news kiosk if they remember him? Did he ask for help there?
• Have the appeal posters mentioned this? Probably not (yet) but imo they should. I mostly wouldn't notice the faces of people on the street but if I saw someone vomiting I'd notice and remember that. This information might jog memories about what happened next. It was 1pm! There must have been other people about.
  
• What happened in the morning before all of this, and the night before? Food? Drink? <modsnip: Removed negative speculation on victim>? Who else was there and did anybody else get ill?
• Probably a stupid question, but if the CCTV showed where he vomited, did the police gather a sample for analysis?

I thought something would have been found before this tbh. My best guess right now would be along the lines of a bad samaritan - that someone who saw he was ill (or assumed he was drunk) offered to help and led him away to rob or assault him. But you would still think he would have been found by now, if so.

Has anyone else got any new ideas?

I "enjoyed" reading these ideas...

I... too...have been trying to "think outside the box"...

Could AC have left the station feeling ill...
was shown on CCTV as actually vomiting...
and continued ... parallel... to the track of the train...

after relieving himself of vomit and/or diarrhea (sp?)...
could he have assumed that the train would not wait for him...
so he decided to continue the parallel path..

perhaps he was able to get to another town/area completely?

Or... perhaps he tried to catch a ride to continue on to final destination....
and met with a mean-spirited/dangerous person giving him a ride?

(Sorry for this long meandering post...
and for lack of correct capitalization...
I got lazy trying to "fight" with my ipad...
And I hope at least some of you will be able to understand me... hahaha! )

 

[Angleterre]

Many of us have "skeletons in the closet"...
Especially our parents might have an idea of us which is not really accurate. We wanna show them how proud they are of us, we just wanna show them the good and obviously hide our secrets from them which is fair enough. They don't need to know everything about us.

You’re right, they don’t BUT I predict that this ‘ disappearance will be gang or crime related and he made a conscious choice to do so. Just my gut feeling after 23 years as a Senior Investigative Officer and Detective and having run and lead all sorts of major enquiries and murders, kidnap, abductions, Missing persons etc investigations.
But as usual JMOO

 

[Angleterre]

Could the glancing back after 'vomiting' be to check his friend wasn't following him or could it be that he saw someone on the train/platform and ran for his life, but terrified he felt sick? Or could he have received a phone call (I believe that part of the underground is in fact overground?) to say someone is after him or waiting for him at the other end of his journey? JMO MOO.

Yes any of those scenarios are a possibility.

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

So, his possessions that were left with the friend - where would they be now? Would the police have them? Or perhaps if someone was following them on the train, would his possessions have ultimately gone astray somehow?