Missing autistic boy found safe at Apple Store

Fourteen-year-old Jose Bolanos was missing for 24 hours before being spotted at the Apple Brickell City Center store.

The teenager, described as having autism, was missing from his home in Dade County, Miami, for 24 hours before being found at the store. According to CBS Miami, police had issued flyers and even sent iOS notifications asking for help finding the boy, and consequently a member of the public recognized him at the store.

"I was trying to find my missing phone, which... was lost a couple of days ago," Bolanos told CBS Miami. Reportedly, his iPhone went missing at his school, but Bolanos was then concerned about his iCloud data.

"I went to a nearby metro station," he continued. "And, yes, I went to a metro station and then I tried to find like a nearest Apple store to find and because I needed to repair my, uh, iCloud on it."

Bolanos went missing on Friday, September 8, 2023, after having told his mother he was going to take out the trash. A neighbor's shaky video, possibly from a door cam, showed Bolanos leaving his home.

He then appears to have gone straight to the Apple Store, but details are unclear. Bolanos is reported to have been at the store on Friday, but he has been unable to tell police where he slept overnight before returning to Apple on Saturday.

Apple Brickell City Center is one of four Apple Stores in Miami. It is expected to be joined by a fifth at Miami Worldcenter, which could be Apple's largest retail store in the world.