Missing Long Island boy Thomas Medlin, 15, was caught on surveillance video pacing the Manhattan Bridge. However, moments later, the cameras recorded an ominous splash in the East River, Suffolk County police said on Wednesday, January 28, according to the New York Post. Cops noted that the footage does not show the teen leaving the bridge.
Medlin of St. James, a hamlet in Suffolk County, disappeared after he headed into Manhattan from his home in Long Island, New York, after leaving to meet someone he met online through Roblox, an online gaming platform, his mother said, according to People. However, police have ruled out any connection between Roblox and Medlin’s disappearance.
The company told the New York Post that it was fully cooperating with the investigation. “We are deeply troubled by this incident and are working with law enforcement to support their investigation,” a company spokesperson said in the statement.
‘No indication of criminal activity’
Medlin went missing on January 9 after he traveled into Manhattan after school, according to a January 12 news release shared by the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD).
On the day he went missing, Medlin left Stony Brook School at around 3:30 pm local time and “ran” to the Stony Brook Long Island Rail Road station, where he is believed to have caught a train into Manhattan, the SCPD said. He was then seen at Grand Central Station around two hours later, about 5:30 pm local time, on the same day.
{{/usCountry}}On the day he went missing, Medlin left Stony Brook School at around 3:30 pm local time and “ran” to the Stony Brook Long Island Rail Road station, where he is believed to have caught a train into Manhattan, the SCPD said. He was then seen at Grand Central Station around two hours later, about 5:30 pm local time, on the same day.
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The Suffolk County Police Department said that cameras then captured Medlin on the pedestrian walkway on the Manhattan Bridge at 7:06 pm, and his last mobile phone activity was recorded at 7:09 pm.
“A nearby surveillance camera captured a splash in the water” just a minute later, at 7:10 pm, police said.
They added, “Medlin was never seen leaving the bridge via path exits.”
According to law enforcement sources, investigators who had been pinging Medlin’s phone lost contact at that time.
“There is no indication of criminal activity,” police said in a press release. “Detectives have continuously communicated the department’s findings to Medlin’s family. The department is continuing to work with its law enforcement partners to bring closure.”
Medlin is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 130 lbs. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with red stripes, dark sweatpants with white stripes, a black backpack and glasses, police said.
Anyone with information about Medlin’s whereabouts has been urged by the SCPD to contact Fourth Squad Detectives at 631-854-8452 or call 911.