An autistic 19-year-old vanished after leaving dwelling in his pajamas. His mother fears he might have been mistakenly picked up by ICE
Nearly two weeks ago, a 19-year-old autistic man vanished after leaving his New Jersey home in pajama pants and without his ID. His mother, desperate for answers, fears he may have been mistakenly detained by federal immigration authorities.
Connor Oldfield walked away from his home in Plainfield — located about 30 miles southwest of New York City — on the afternoon of January 24, sparking a dayslong search amidst frigid wintry conditions.
“He’s got to be somewhere,” Stephanie Senior, his mother, told NJ Advance Media. “He’s either with ICE or with someone.”
Senior said that ICE agents were in the area on Saturday and that it’s possible her son, who didn’t have any form of identification on him, was picked up by them. She noted that local police had reached out to federal officials, but that they have no documentation of having detained Oldfield.
“What concerns me is they’ve arrested so many people, my son may not be in the database yet,” she said.
Federal agents have detained U.S. citizens on multiple occasions amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. In November, a 16-year-old Rhode Island intern was taken into ICE custody due to a mistaken identity error. And, in June, a U.S. Marshal was accidentally arrested in Arizona.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has said that “DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted and are not resulting in the arrest of U.S. citizens.”
Spokespeople for ICE and the Plainfield Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Independent.
Senior told NJ Advance Media that Oldfield was at home by himself — which she said was not out of the ordinary — when he disappeared. He was wearing grey pajama pants and a grey coat.
“He’s a homebody… He’s been home alone many times,” she said, noting that he had never wandered off before.
Upon returning home, she contacted Plainfield police around 3:30 p.m. to report her son missing. Shortly after, she began searching for him, enlisting the help of family and friends.
According to a local missing persons bulletin, Oldfield is about 5’8” and 165 pounds. He has short black hair, brown eyes and a scar on his forehead.
“Connor is autistic,” the bulletin states. “He is verbal and able to communicate; however, he may be nervous or anxious if approached. Please use calm, clear, and reassuring communication.”
The day after he disappeared, a snowstorm swept the state, prompting public transportation services to be shut down. Temperatures have been below freezing in the area since then.
Police are urging nearby residents to review their home surveillance footage for any signs of Oldfield, according to NJ Advance Media. Senior said that police informed her that her son was seen running in the area on several cameras.
In recent days, a search party scanned for signs of Oldfield in Plainfield and in nearby towns, and volunteers have looked in churches, hotels, shelters and transportation stations. But, so far, there have been no clues to where he is.
Source: independent.co.uk
