A missing Cincinnatus teen was safely recovered this evening after spending about 36 hours as a runaway, according to the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office.
Jordan T. A. Grover, 16, was spotted around 7:45 p.m. near the Cincinnatus Park and Playground area by a passerby who called police, said Sgt. Anthony Phelps. The playground, which borders the Otselic River and State Route 26, is near the intersection Telephone and Piety Hill roads.
Grover was not injured, Phelps said. Police believe Phelps ran away and was hiding out from officers in the area of the park, he said. It is unclear why Grover ran away, Phelps said.
Police had not been able to interview Grover this evening in order to determine what prompted his flight, he said.
“We had to get a PINS warrant to find him,” Phelps noted, referring to a warrant issued by a Family Court Judge who deems a teen or child is a Person In Need of Supervision. The warrant is often issued when a child does not attend school or “or behaves in a way that is dangerous or out of control,” according to the New York Courts website. A child is represented by private or court-appointed attorney in such cases, the website notes.
Phelps thanked all those who provided information to police regarding Grover’s disappearance in his 8:27 p.m. news release. He also thanked State Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as the Tompkins County and Jefferson County police.
“We had all sorts of agencies helping us,” Phelps said.
Earlier in the day, police received information Grover may have gotten a ride to Rochester, according to the Sheriff’s Office. But Grover was actually in his rural hometown of Cincinnatus.
Grover had not been seen for more than 24-hours when the Cortland County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release at 11:18 a.m. Thursday asking the public to aid in the search for the boy. Grover was last seen when he left his friend’s home around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
