Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
3 kids missing from their homes in Bronx and Queens this week, police say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 16, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gary Hershorn / Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published May 16, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Police are asking the public to look out for three young teenagers who went missing from their homes in the Bronx and Queens this week.
NYPD officials said 14-year-old Noah Ortiz left his home at NYCHA’s Sotomayor Houses in Soundview around 9 p.m. Tuesday and has not been seen since.
Ortiz has run away from home before, police said, but they did not have any information about why he left this time.
Noah Ortiz, 14, of the Bronx
NYPD
Also in the Bronx, 14-year-old Jy-Lee Connor went missing around 7 p.m. Wednesday from an address on Howe Avenue in Castle Hill that is listed online as a group home run by the Catholic Guardian Society.
Officials said they did not have any information about why Connor left or whether she has gone missing before.
Jy-Lee Connor, 14, of the Bronx
NYPD
15-year-old Florinda Velasquez left her Flushing home to go to school around 7 a.m. Thursday and did not return, according to the NYPD.
Officials said it was her first time going missing and listed her address on Linden Place and 31st Road. They said her reason for leaving remained unclear.
Florinda Velasquez, 15, of Queens
NYPD
Anyone with information about the teens can call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). They can also submit tips on the Crime Stoppers website.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
bronx
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
The NYPD has not publicly identified her. People who knew her said she was an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .