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Lost Child Has "Greatest Day" Of His Life Wandering Around NYC
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 3, 2014
Modified Aug 3, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 3, 2014
Modified Aug 3, 2014
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A 9-year-old boy who got separated from his parents at the Central Park Zoo on Saturday had what he called the "greatest day" of his life wandering around the city. "This was the greatest day of my life, because this was the first day I was at the police station!" an overjoyed Chris Villavicencio told the News after walking around Midtown for two hours alone yesterday. Maybe Chris is a fan of Madvillain: "Looks like it's gonna be a great day today / to get some fresh air like a stray on a straightaway."
Chris was at the Zoo with his parents and his younger sister by the Delacorte Music Clock when they got separated around 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Chris, who is mildly autistic, ended up wandering out to 64th Street while looking for his parents, then found himself in Times Square looking for familiar buildings.
His parents reported him missing just after 5 p.m., and sometime before 6 p.m., he got into the Port Authority bus terminal near W. 40th Street, where cops picked him up. After the family was reunited, he warned his sister, "Remember: don't wander off." While it may have been one of the best days in Chris' life, we feel pretty assured it was a terrible day for his parents—it sounds like the whole family could use some barnburners at Hay Rosie to cap off their adventures.
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Chris Villavicencio
getting lost
great days
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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