Missing Long Beach teen found in East Meadow

An autistic Long Beach teen reported missing on Sunday was found hours later in East Meadow after an extensive search by police and volunteers, and numerous social media posts providing his photo and description.

The 18-year-old left his home for a bike ride at approximately 4:10 p.m. on Sunday, and when he didn’t come back, the teen’s sister notified the Long Beach Police Department at 4:30 p.m., according to Commissioner Michael Tangney.

Long Beach police then notified the Nassau County Aviation and Canine Unit for assistance, put out a full description and started a search throughout the city, Tangney said. He was spotted several times by Long Beach residents, but by the time it was reported to police, the teenager had moved on, according to Tangney. An officer of the First Precinct found the boy at 7:55 p.m. at the corner of 8th and Freeman avenues — nearly 20 miles from his house.

“We put out a broad-based alert throughout the county,” Tangney said. “We were told that he fancied Checkers, the fast food place, and there’s one in Baldwin and one in East Meadow, so we notified those posts to watch out for him…”

Though Tangney said that the teen was unharmed, he was transported to Nassau University Medical Center for an evaluation and was picked up by his mother. According to Tangney, a large number of friends and neighbors joined police in the search before they received word that he had been found. The Long Beach Fire Department was also involved in the search.

Various Facebook pages, including Project 11561, posted a photo of the teen along with a description of the clothing he was last seen in as the scenario unfolded. The boy’s mother, Nicole Sugre, shared her gratitude on Facebook to all who aided in the search for her son. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“He rode around Long Beach, then went over the bridge to our old house in East Meadow, by bike,” Sugre said on Facebook. “…God bless Long Beach [Police Department], Nassau County [Police Department], all our friends family and neighbors, that were known and unknown to us, who searched hours for him. Thank you all — I am so grateful.”