Missing autistic boy found in Jerusalem after day-long search

An 11-year-old chareidi boy on the autism spectrum was found Wednesday afternoon in Jerusalem, ending a tense 24-hour search that began when he walked out of his hostel in Ashdod.

The boy, a resident of Arad, was located after a Jerusalem resident recognized him from a ZAKA alert and called the organization's hotline to report his location in real time.

"The resident, who had seen the alert with the boy's photograph, spotted him on Ohalei Yosef Street in Jerusalem, identified him, and immediately called the ZAKA hotline to report his location," ZAKA said in a statement. "The call came in less than an hour after the missing child's photo was distributed, demonstrating the critical importance of public vigilance in saving lives and locating missing persons."

The boy had last been seen Tuesday evening in Ashdod. Police released his name and photograph at midday Wednesday, calling on the public to assist in the search.

ZAKA had issued an update about two hours after the police appeal, reporting on the extensive searches underway. According to the information received, the boy had left the hostel where he was staying at approximately 6:20 p.m. Tuesday evening, and contact with him was lost from that point.

Chaim Weingarten, ZAKA's deputy director of operations, said: "This is a moving moment that demonstrates the tremendous power of public vigilance and timely, accurate distribution of information. For long hours, volunteers from the region worked with great dedication searching for the boy, and then, within less than an hour of distributing his photograph, an alert citizen in Jerusalem identified him on Ohalei Yosef Street and immediately reported to the ZAKA hotline. We thank the citizen for his vigilance and all the volunteers who worked tirelessly."