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Canadian Kid Disappears From FAO Schwarz, Ends Up In Times Square
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 13, 2010
Modified Aug 13, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 13, 2010
Modified Aug 13, 2010
Share
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A 12-year-old Canadian boy gave his parents quite a scare yesterday afternoon when he disappeared from FAO Schwarz. When the unidentified parents realized he was gone, store security checked surveillance videos and found footage of him exiting the store with a stranger at 2:12 p.m. Fearing the worst, the NYPD brass ordered a Level 2 mobilization, and midtown was flooded with cops. (For more on NYPD mobilization levels, check out this fruitless debate in the comments, and this inconclusive message board post.)
Fortunately, the boy was found four hours later, unharmed, on 46th Street and 7th Avenue. The Post reports that the child "appeared shaken" when entering the Midtown North police station, accompanied by a blond woman who appeared to be his mother, a man, and three small boys. Police have not located the stranger seen in the surveillance video, and now there's speculation that the child just happened to walk out of the store around the same time as someone else, and was not even temporarily abducted. Which would mean the boy left a giant toy store on his own volition. Is that a Canadian thing or is this kid just some kind of fun-hating freak?
Tagged
canadians
fao schwarz
missing child
Times Square
toy store
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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