Rochester AMBER alert resolved, teen recovered
On Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, at 10:23 p.m., the Rochester Police Department (RPD) activated an AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert for counties Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, most of Wyoming and Livingston and approximately half of Ontario County. The missing child, James Fernandez Reyes, was believed to be in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death.
According to the Democrat & Chronicle, the AMBER Alert was cancelled at 10:02 a.m. on Tuesday Nov. 16, as Reyes had been found safe and was returned to his family. Local law enforcement will not be revealing any more information concerning this case.
According to the AMBER Alert, Reyes is a 14 year old white/Hispanic boy who is five foot three inches and weighs 120 pounds. He has brown hair and eyes, and was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue pants and white Air Force One sneakers.
His abductor was an unknown Black man. The vehicle involved was a gold, mid size SUV with an unknown license plate. It is possible that four or five Black men wearing masks were involved in the abduction.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday Nov. 15, Reyes was taken on Myrtle St., Rochester. The vehicle involved in Reyes’ abduction was last seen heading North on Myrtle St.
Anyone with information on Reyes was instructed to call RPD at (585) 428-1107 or to call 911. When calling the police, citizens are instructed to provide specific information, such as your exact location and what exactly you saw, including vehicles and people you may think are involved.
Authorities warn citizens not to intervene or take action, which could endanger the lives of everyone involved, including bystanders, the abducted child and oneself. It is safer to simply call authorities and provide as much information as possible.
According to the New York State Website, The AMBER Alert system is an information dissemination system that connects a variety of law enforcement agencies to a variety of broadcasting agencies, specifically to spread information on a missing child who is believed to be in imminent danger.
According to the U.S. AMBER Alert website, the AMBER Alert system was established after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman of Arlington, TX, was abducted while riding her bicycle and murdered in 1996.
After her death, the Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters worked in conjunction with the local police to develop a system to quickly spread information about missing children to the public. This system was named the “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response”, or AMBER Alert, in honor of Hagerman. Since its inception, all fifty states and some U.S. territories have established their own AMBER Alert systems in order to participate on a national level.
As of Jul. 5, 2021, the AMBER Alert system has led to the recovery of 1,074 children in the U.S.