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The Amber Alert that was activated on Thursday after the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl has been canceled.
Malaya Johnson has been located and is safe, state police said.
Johnson, from Hudson Falls near Glens Falls, was found unharmed in New York City.
She had contacted her family Friday morning to let them know she was safe but did not plan on returning home, according to a report on WCBS-TV.
Earlier report:
A teenager from Manhattan involved in the abduction of a 12-year-old girl that led to a New York State Amber Alert being issued on Thursday has been arrested and the car involved has been found, but the child remains missing, state police announced late Friday morning.
Hours after her abduction Wednesday, the girl's cell phone was "pinged" in Rockland County, according to the Glens Falls Post Star.
Officials said that Malaya Johnson was abducted in Hudson Falls near Glens Falls on Wednesday and taken to Staten Island with 19-year-old George Torres and another man after using social media to arrange for a ride home from school from Torres into the city. She was last seen getting into a two-door red Ford Mustang at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday on Oak Street in Hudson Falls.
Torres, the teen arrested, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
On Friday morning, State Police announced that the vehicle has been recovered by the NYPD, though the child is “still missing and believed to be in danger.” She was last seen near the Staten Island Ferry between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sept. 27, where Torres dropped her off.
The missing girl is 5-foot African-American with long brown hair and brown eyes, weighing approximately 115 pounds. She was last seen wearing light red jeans and a white tank top with a light-colored backpack.
Police said that Johnson’s cell phone was located in Sloatsburg on Wednesday night after it was pinged by her service provider. She is believed to be a runaway who could “be in imminent danger of serious injury or death.”
According to the Post Star, police said that Johnson said “she had made some comments to friends that she was going to New York City to be with her ‘family.’”
Anyone who spots Johnson, or knows where she may be heading, has been asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office by calling (518) 747-4623.
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