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Caleb Jacoby, the 16-year-old son of Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby and his wife Laura, went missing on Monday. He was found safe in New York Thursday evening.
Missing teenager Caleb Jacoby is safe. He was found in Times Square in New York, the Brookline Police said Thursday evening.
A Brookline Police dispatcher said Jacoby was found, but there are no other details available at this point, and detectives are still working on the case.
The Brookline Police announced via Twitter just before 9 p.m., "Caleb Jacoby has been found. Safe and well." The police said more information will follow as details become available.
The Brookline Police Department posted on its website around 9:45 p.m. that the Brookline police, working with other agencies, were able to provide information to the New York City Police Department that Jacoby may be in the area of Times Square. "Based upon this information at approximately 9PM New York City Police informed us they had located Caleb and he was safe and sound," the Brookline Police wrote. "Plans are now being formulated to transport Caleb back home."
Jacoby, 16, of Brookline, had been missing since 12:30 p.m. on Monday. He is an 11th grader at the Maimonides School, a Jewish day school in Brookline. Jacoby is the son of Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby. His disappearance had sparked a large community response, with more than 200 volunteers searching for him throughout the Boston area.
The New York Police Department was unable to provide any additional information.
Jeff Jacoby said via Twitter, "Our prayers have been answered. We are thrilled to hear from the Brookline Police that our beloved son Caleb has been found and is safe. Words can't express our gratitude for the extraordinary outpouring of kindness and support that we have received from so many people. All we can think of at this moment is how wonderful it will be to see Caleb again and shower him with love."
Debby Jacoby, who identified herself as Caleb's aunt, thanked the Brookline police on Twitter and tweeted, "CALEB IS FOUND! IT'S TRUE. Thank you for all of your support, prayers, wishes and love #gratitudeoverflowing."
Barry Shrage, president of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies has known the Jacobys for years. He was informed by a reporter Thursday night that Caleb Jacoby was found. "The only thing you can say is thank God," Shrage said.
The Combined Jewish Philanthropies sent out more than 15,000 emails to get the word out when Jacoby went missing, and Shrage said hundreds of people asked him for information. "It was, I would say, number one on the mind of almost everyone I met since the news broke," Shrage said.
"The entire Jewish community and much of the general community was deeply worried and heartbroken and identified with the parents and were just so worried about Caleb," Shrage said. "There were volunteers out there on the coldest day of the year searching for him. Thank God he was found and safe."
Jay Groob, president of American Investigative Services and a member of the Brookline Jewish community who donated his time to help with the search, said he believes the police got a tip that Jacoby was in Times Square.
Groob said the outpouring of support from the local community was unprecedented. "I've worked on missing person cases in the past, and this was just something I've never seen in my life," Groob said. He pointed to the intense social media reaction and the community search groups. He attributed the support to the close-knit nature of the Jewish community, as well as Jeff Jacoby's high profile as a columnist.
"I've never seen such an outpouring of a community," Groob said. "I've heard people from as far as Israel and all over the country have come together to offer support. Itas a testament to the community, a testament to Jeff Jacoby, and to the general population here in Brookline."
Maimonides School posted on its Facebook page, "Baruch HaShem (Thank God)! The Brookline Police Department has confirmed that Caleb Jacoby has been found and is safe. Thank you all for your prayers and efforts on his behalf."
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.