Police in New York City are investigating whether a photo of a young boy riding a subway train is that of an autistic boy missing for nearly a month.
The photograph, obtained Wednesday by FoxNews.com, was reportedly taken by a teenager who thought the boy riding an E or F line train on Tuesday was 14-year-old Avonte Oquendo, who was last seen on Oct. 4 walking out of his school in Queens.
Tony Herbert, president of the Brooklyn East chapter of the National Action Network, told the Daily News that the unidentified teenager asked the boy, “Hey, are you Avonte?” The boy didn’t answer and the unidentified teen snapped a picture before getting off the train, the newspaper reports.
The boy in the photo bears such a likeness to Avonte — who is unable to communicate verbally — that even the boy’s father cannot be sure it is or isn’t him.
“Yes, it’s a close likeness,” Daniel Oquendo told the Daily News. “We need to get a better look to really tell. If we could find the individual who took the picture, that would help big time.”
“We just need to stay focused and analyze every sighting,” he said. “The more sightings, the better. Eventually one will pan out … We’re still hopeful.”
Source: Fox News