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Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism University of Southern California
Southern California

Autistic Teen Missing from Bob Hope Airport Found [Updated]

Police had been searching for 14-year-old Cameron James Smith since noon Wednesday.

An autistic boy that went missing in Burbank Wednesday after exiting an aircraft that returned to the gate prior to its scheduled departure, was found Wednesday night in West Hollywood.

Smith was last seen at the Bob Hope Airport. (Image Courtesy Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority)
Smith was last seen at the Bob Hope Airport. (Image Courtesy Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority)

According to Bobe Hope Airport Authorities  14-year-old Cameron James Smith was found at 5:40 p.m. in a pizza restaurant in West Hollywood.

People who had heard reports of the boy missing called authorities after seeing him enter the restaurant.

Law enforcement from the Bobe Hope Authorities took custody of Smith and united him with his parents.

Smith was scheduled to depart on a Delta flight at Bob Hope Airport at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, but due to mechanical problems, the plane was forced to return to the gate, according to a press release from the airport.

Police had expanded the search to Hollywood and Pasadena, where the boy's family lives. Airport surveillance showed that Smith got off the plane, boarded an airport parking lot shuttle and wandered away.

Airport police were notified of Smith's disappearance shortly after noon. A search had been underway, involving the Burbank airport Police, Burbank City Police, Burbank-Glendale Air Support and Los Angeles Police.

Delta Airlines policy states that unaccompanied minors should be escorted at all times because of a $100 fee.

COMMENTS

My big question is....how did he get from Burbank to West Hollywoood?

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