'This was the greatest day of my life': Missing boy, 9, enjoys two hours lost on an adventure in New York after getting separated from his family at the zoo

  • Chris Villavicencio got lost while visiting Central Park Zoo with his family on Saturday

By James Nye

A young boy separated from his parents on a trip to Central Park Zoo had an adventure he described as the 'greatest day of my life' on Saturday.

When nine-year-old Chris Villavicencio lost his parents, instead of panicking he made his way down Manhattan through the skyscrapers of Midtown untill he was picked up by concerned NYPD at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

While his parents frantically searched for him, Chris got to see the inside of a police station - an enormous thrill for the New Jersey youngster.

Siblings: Chris and his sister were at the Central Park Zoo on Saturday before the nine-year-old got lost

Siblings: Chris and his sister were at the Central Park Zoo on Saturday before the nine-year-old got lost

'This was the greatest day of my life, because this was the first day I was at the police station!' the ecstatic boy told the Daily News.

His mother and father lost track of Chris at around 4.30pm while they were making their way through the popular zoo.

 

'I tried to find my parents, but I couldn't,' said Chris.

Instead of staying in the same place until his parents found him, Chris, who is mildly autistic according to the NYPD, decided to try and track down his parents himself.

Day out: Chris was with his family at Central Park Zoo on Saturday when he was separated from his parents

Day out: Chris was with his family at Central Park Zoo on Saturday when he was separated from his parents

Jungle: Chris managed to wander more than 20 blocks through Midtown Manhattan after getting lost

Jungle: Chris managed to wander more than 20 blocks through Midtown Manhattan after getting lost

On his adventure Chris left the zoo at E.64th St. and started wandering down towards Times Square.

He used buildings he had seen before on television to navigate.

He was eventually stopped by two NYPD officers at the Port Authority Bus Terminal and they took him.

Meanwhile, back at the zoo, his panicked parents, who do not speak English had reported Chris as missing.

Luckily, Chris and his parents were reunited within the hour after police returned him to Central Park, but not before they had bought him some yogurt.

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