Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

News

Hear The 911 Call Made By NJ Teen Accused Of Lying On Twitter About Abduction


By

John Del Signore

Published Dec 28, 2012

Modified Dec 28, 2012


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 .

The tweet that started it all.


By

John Del Signore

Published Dec 28, 2012

Modified Dec 28, 2012


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

Remember Kara Alongi, the New Jersey teen who attracted over 100,000 new Twitter followers one night after she tweeted about an intruder in her house and then vanished? And then local police decided it was a hoax and that she left her house voluntarily after calling for a cab? Authorities have just released the 911 call that Alongi made when she finally alerted a worried nation to her whereabouts. You can listen to it in all its cringe-inducing glory below:

Two days after her September 30th "disappearance," Alongi placed the call from a Burger King in a rest stop along the NJ turnpike, telling a state trooper: "A few days ago I was inside and some guy came and made me go. ... I was in my house and some guy came in and told me that I had to do all this stuff. And I was on a bus and now I’m here....I don't know his name, but he was black and he said he was, like, 28... He told me I had to go into a cab and I had to meet someone, but I don’t remember where I was."

Pressed for more details by the state trooper, Alongi responds, "There was a cab at my house and I went in and then I went into the train station and then I don’t remember where I was. ... And I woke up today in, I don't know, somewhere, it was like the country [muffled], and now I’m here."

Clark, NJ Police Chief Alan Scherb tells Patch that his department stands by its claim that Alongi was not abducted, despite what she claimed in the 911 call. However, police have not brought any charges against Alongi, and Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso had decided not to charge the family for the costs of the extensive manhunt that resulted from her tweet. Three months later, Scherb says the investigation remains ongoing.

Tagged

kara alongi

kids

teenagers

twitter


John Del Signore

Twitter

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.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE news

Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors

Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.

By

Ryan Kost

Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:49 p.m. ET


NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal

Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."

By

Elizabeth Kim

News

NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal

Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."

By

Elizabeth Kim


NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting

By

Charles Lane

Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds

By

Samantha Max

MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens

By

Ramsey Khalifeh


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 .