Berne

Police agencies continue to search for a 5-year-old boy who was abducted from his home early Thursday afternoon by two masked men.

The men, who were reported to have been wearing ski masks, went into the Berne home at about 1:20 p.m. on Thacher Park Road and took the child, Kenneth White.

The boy is described in an Amber Alert as 3-foot-5, weighing about 45 pounds with short brown hair and brown eyes.

Kenneth was last seen wearing jeans and a checkered white short-sleeved shirt.

One of the suspects is a white man, about 5-foot-10, who was wearing black clothes, including a ski mask, black boots and black gloves.

The second suspect, also believed to be a man, is of unknown race and wore similar clothing.

The two men left in a black, four-door pickup truck. The license plate is unknown.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said in a televised interview that no dialogue was exchanged during the abduction and three other people in the home during the abduction were not harmed.

They included the 19-year-old daughter of the home owners, who are White's legal guardians and are of some family relation to the boy.

Also in the home were a three-year-old and a four-year-old who Apple could not provide details on.

The 19-year-old was pinned to the floor during the abduction but was otherwise uninjured.

The guardians, the teenager and the children were taken to the police station for further questioning, Apple said.

White's biological parents do not live in the home from which he was taken — his mother lives in the western part of the state and his father lives in Massachusetts, Apple said.

Both parents were accounted for Thursday afternoon, he said.

"We're very concerned," Apple said, speaking to the media at the scene. At the time, he said police were treating this as an abduction and not a familial misunderstanding.

Apple could not provide comment as to whether the incident was connected to a custody dispute, but said police are looking into the possibility.

Many questions remain, including where the truck's license plate was from and where the truck was headed.

Due to the home's rural location and proximity to major roads, Apple said the two men and the boy could have quickly traveled to Schoharie or Schenectady counties.

"We have our hands full," Apple told reporters, but said State Police are providing valuable assistance. "We've got a lot of leads."

The Berne-Knox-Westerlo elementary and secondary schools were placed on lockout from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. in response to the Amber Alert, but later reopened for student dismissal.

Those with information or tips about the investigation are asked to contact police immediately at 911 or 1 (866) NYS-AMBER.