By Emily Davenport
Police were looking for a teen who ran away from a juvenile detention center in South Ozone Park on Christmas night.
The absconder, whom the NYPD identified as 16-year-old Henry Corey, fled from the facility, located at 133-23 127th St., at 8:30 p.m. after pulling the fire alarm, which caused the building’s doors to open, according to authorities.
The juvenile detention center is operated under the auspices of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).
Once the doors were open, authorities said Corey fled the building in an unknown direction.
According to law enforcement sources, Corey was in custody at the site — which is a Close to Home juvenile detention center — and could not leave without the agency’s express permission. The Close to Home initiative houses youths that have been convicted of certain crimes, holding them in a residential community rather then sending them to a prison.
Police did not disclose why Corey was at the facility. TimesLedger reached out to ACS for comment and is awaiting a response.
Police described Corey as having a dark complexion, brown eyes, black hair, and a slim build, standing 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a red du-rag, a plaid robe, gray sweatpants and white socks.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
