An 8-year-old boy who vanished from his Brooklyn home this week was found safe hours later after he showed up on his own at a police station miles away, according to the NYPD.
Avery DeJesus was reported missing on Monday, August 17, after he left his residence near Dumont Avenue and Van Siclen Avenue in the East New York section of Brooklyn at around 12:30 p.m.
Police described him as standing about 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighing roughly 100 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts and black sneakers.
Search Prompts Community Alert
As officers searched the neighborhood, the NYPD also asked the public for help locating the boy, sharing his description and photo and urging anyone who spotted him to call authorities right away.
Officials pointed people toward the department’s Crime Stoppers hotline and online tip portal for anyone with information.
The case echoed a string of recent child disappearance reports across the city, keeping worried residents and family members on edge throughout the afternoon and evening as the search stretched on with no immediate sign of the boy.
Boy Turns Up Safe In Williamsburg
The search ended that night when Avery turned up on his own in Williamsburg, an area well removed from where he was last seen, after walking into the 90th Precinct stationhouse. Investigators have not said how he traveled there or what led him to that particular precinct.
Emergency responders who examined him at the scene determined he was in good health, and he was not taken to a hospital. The NYPD confirmed shortly after 1 a.m. on August 18 that the child had been located, bringing a swift end to what had been hours of uncertainty for his family.
Police then reunited Avery with his relatives. No further details have been released about what happened during the roughly twelve hours he was away from home, and it remains unclear whether investigators are looking into how or why he left in the first place.
Cases involving young children who go missing typically draw fast responses from the NYPD’s Missing Persons Squad, which works alongside patrol officers and, when needed, other city agencies to narrow down where a child might have gone.
Officials generally credit quick public tips and wide media alerts with helping locate children in similar situations before a search drags on for an extended period.
As of now, no additional information has been released, and the department has not indicated whether any further action will be taken in the case. Neighbors in East New York expressed relief on hearing that the boy had been found unharmed.
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