An autistic Brooklyn teen who has been missing for nearly three months may be in Philadelphia, police said Saturday.
East Flatbush teen Jean Pierre has a unique fascination with the City of Brotherly Love, and most of its sports teams, including the Eagles and the ’76ers, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
“He had also indicated that, in some time, he would like to attend Temple University, which is in Philly,” Kenny told reporters at a briefing at police headquarters on Friday.
Still, cops have not been able to find him in Philadelphia, and have received conflicting reports about his whereabouts.
“As of right now, we have not confirmed where he is,” Kenny said. “We’re getting conflicting reports.”
The NYPD has repeatedly pushed out a photo of Pierre, who has the mental acuity of a third grader and isn’t fluent in English, in the hopes someone can alert them to his whereabouts. The department rereleased a photo of Pierre on Wednesday.
Pierre was last seen at his Brooklyn Ave. home on Nov. 16. He wasn’t reported missing for another month until school officials became concerned on why he hadn’t attended class.
Members of NYPD Missing Person’s Squad were looking into his disappearance when they learned through social media that the teen may have taken the 98-mile trip to Philly.
“During one of his social media postings, we can see a car in the background with the Pennsylvania plate,” Kenny said. “School officials had also heard in the neighborhood that someone may have taken him to Philadelphia.”
The last time anyone saw Pierre was in the lobby of his building with a backpack on, Kenny said.
As the search for Pierre continues, the teen’s mother told police that she believes he’s in Philly and that “he’s fine.”
“The mom states she doesn’t know where he is and doesn’t know why he would be in Philadelphia,” Kenny said. “They have no family in Philadelphia.”
Repeated attempts by the Daily News to speak to Pierre’s mom or other family members were unsuccessful.
Kenny said the NYPD is working with Philadelphia police and Pennsylvania state police in trying to confirm Pierre’s whereabouts. While he has stopped using his social media and has not used his cash apps to make purchases, cops do not believe he’s a victim of foul play.
Pierre is 6 feet tall and about 115 pounds, with a thin build, brown eyes and black hair.
When he was last seen, he was wearing a black hoodie, black track pants and blue-and-white sneakers.
Pierre had been reported missing once before, when he was 11, after he got separated from his mother and ended up on a subway train. He was later located in the Bronx.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
