Kara Alongi, 'Intruder' Tweeter, Believed to Be Runaway, Not in Danger
New Jersey teen Kara Alongi set off a firestorm of activity after tweeting, "There is someone in my hour ecall 911." Now police say that the tweet was a hoax and that Alongi has seemingly run away from home to New York. Alongi has still not returned home yet, though her parents have pleaded for her to do so.
Alongi's frantic tweet spurred an immediate response, with many retweeting her message and authorities being notified and dispatched to the girl's home. No one was present when they arrived, though, and after much investigation, authorities concluded the 16-year-old merely ran away from home.
A cab driver reportedly came forward to tell the Union County Prosecutor's Office that Alongi had been a passenger in his car as he took her to the Rahway train station. New footage has emerged that appears to show Alongi at the train station after purchasing a ticket into New York.
"Kara Alongi is currently still missing, but we are now confident she left voluntarily," Clark Police Chief Alan Scherb told The Clark-Garwood Patch on Monday. That has led police to label the case a "juvenile runaway," and they are proceeding with the investigation as such.
"Kara might feel that she will be in trouble if she comes home after this scare and causing a panic," Scherb said in a public statement. "At this point, all everyone cares about is seeing her safe and at her house where she belongs."
Alongi's grandfather, Paul Alongi Sr., spoke to The Clark-Garwood Patch to plead for Kara to return home.
"We want her to know it's okay to come home. We know that she might be embarrassed or even fearful with all the [words] that have been out there, but we know she's got a great life ahead of her. She has her family supporting her, her friends supporting her, and we love her. We just want her to know it's okay. It's okay. Come on home. We just want you, honey," he said.