***UPDATE: Henry Ytterberg has been found by the police and safely returned to his family. Thank you for your assistance in helping bring this family back together.

Below is a copy of an email that we sent out this morning to the Forefront staff, Leadership Team, and our Ministry Partners. 

Would you join us in helping this dear family?

Thank you.

-Ryan

Dear Staff, Leadership Team, and Friends -

Steve Snider (from Forefront's Manhattan location) reached out to me last night. He has some close friends outside of NY whose son ran away on on Thursday and headed into the city.

The article and story they ran on the news is here:  http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S3708058.shtml

A missing person's report was filed, but the police have not found him yet. He was last seen at a shelter on the Upper East Side, but was not permitted to stay because he didn't meet their criteria. 

Since we have relationships with a number of homeless people and shelters in the city, Steve was reaching out to ask for our help. 

I am asking for your help with the following things:

1) I will post something on social media this morning. Would you mind retweeting it on Twitter and sharing it on Facebook?

2) As you are riding the trains today and this evening, please keep a lookout for him, and if you see him call the police immediately using the attached NCMEC#? (12441)

3) If you are near Penn Station or Grand Central Terminal, would you please take a few extra minutes to walk around there and look for him? Many of the homeless people in our community go back and forth between these two locations during the winter when it is cold, and he may have done the same. 

4) If you have any connection with any shelters in Manhattan, would you please email your contacts there the attachment and ask them to call the police if they see him?

The attachment has his picture, all of his info, and NCMEC#.

This dear family is devastated, and this is how we can help them in their time of need. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Ryan Phipps

Lead Pastor, Forefront Church, Manhattan