NYPD Addresses Missing Kid Rumors

By Katie McFadden

Over the past few months, a series of missing Rockaway teens has raised alarms. With four teens missing within a month, posts started going viral on Facebook and TikTok suspecting something nefarious was afoot. On Thursday, May 14, the 100th Precinct and 101st Precincts held a virtual meeting with local media and elected officials to clarify. According to the 100th Precinct’s Captain Sachi Singh, “We know there’s a few posts on Facebook stating that kids might have gotten abducted or kidnapped, however, that information is false.”

Singh went on to give a rundown of each instance. He said a 17-year-old girl who went missing in early April returned home immediately. Regarding the three other teens, they are “runaways.” A 15-year-old female who went missing in April has been reported missing five times before. “She doesn’t want to return home,” Singh said, adding that the teen has been in touch with police and her guardian. Regarding a 17-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy who went missing from the same area on the same day, Singh said, “We do not believe that they’re in any type of imminent danger,” adding that the girl had run away three times before and she went missing with the boy. Text messages indicated that the girl and boy intended to run away together. The girl has been in touch with police, and they were tracked to a location in New Jersey.

Asked about Jafet “Elijah” Jemmott, a 15-year-old boy who has been missing since November, Singh said that incident is still under investigation but said “There is nothing suspicious about it.”

A green flyer saying, “Wanted: Teen Club Members,” offering “determine your own pay” jobs for 13–17-year-olds and free trips, which was handed out at the Far Rockaway Campus in early May was also discussed. It is believed to be a labor trafficking scam, however, Captain George Ng said, “The flyer does not have any connection with the missing juveniles,” and added that area principals were aware of it.