NYC pulling out stops to find autistic boy

Melanie Eversley | USA TODAY

New York City is going all out to find an autistic 14-year-old boy who went missing 12 days ago after walking out of his school in Long Island City, Queens.

Fliers warning that Avonte Oquendo has severe austism have gone up all over the city and announcements train conductors are asking the public over loudspeakers to keep an eye out for the boy.

Members of the New York Police Department are looking for the boy via helicopters and they are checking transit and waterways, according to the NYPD press office.

And a website, http://findAvonte.com, has been created and leads to the Facebook page "Bring Avonte Home."

On the page, Avonte's brother issued a statement of thanks to the public.

"On behalf of my family I would love to thank all of you for the tremendous amount of support you have shown us," Danny Oquendo wrote. "You have given us the strength to persevere through these tough times. Thank you for the link sharing, reposting, retweets, flyer distribution, donations, and searching. Together we WILL #FindAvonte."

The family has reached out for help to the Rev. Al Sharpton, who announced on Thursday that the boy's mother, father and brother would join him at the Harlem headquarters of his National Action Network, as members of the organization pledge to canvas New York to find Avonte.

Wandering is an issue among people with autism, according to the AWAARE (Autism Wandering Awareness Alerts Response Education) Collaboration. About half of children with autism try to escape from a safe environment, the organization reports.

"There are various reasons someone with autism may wander," according to the organization. "More often than not, he'she will wander to something of interest, especially water, or away from something that is bothersome, such as uncomfortable noise or bright lights."

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said that the NYPD has expanded its search for the boy beyond New York City and that he may have taken a train to New Jersey or someplace even further, CBS News reports.

Family members say Avonte is non-verbal and has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old.

A $70,000 reward is being offered for information on Avonte's whereabouts.

The boy is described as 5-foot-3 and 125 pounds. When last seen, he was wearing a gray striped shirt and black jeans.