The Swedish teen with Asperger’s syndrome who vanished from a Manhattan McDonald’s restaurant was found in good health early Sunday – after more than a day of panicked searching, police said.
Marcus Kerttu, 15, was reunited with his father after an MTA officer spotted the boy in Penn Station around 1 a.m., police said.
The teen went missing on Friday after his father stepped away from their table at the McDonald’s on Canal and Lafayette Streets to use the bathroom around 8 p.m., he told police.
But when he returned a few minutes later his son was gone, cops said.
The panicked father spent several hours searching the neighborhood for his son, then went back to their room at the Hotel Stanford on W. 32nd St. in Midtown in the hopes the teen would find his way there, police sources said.
But his prayers were soon dashed, cops said. Early Saturday morning he reached out to police asking for their help, officials said.
Cops did not believe that Marcus was lured away from the McDonald’s — he apparently got up and left, witnesses told investigators.
“It looks like he just walked off,” a police source said.
Police searched the streets and railways between Chinatown and Midtown Saturday. Investigators initially believed he rode the N, 2 and 5 trains during his disappearance.
The Guardian Angels were also assisting in the search, according to Michael Rosen, executive vice president of the group Autism Speaks.
Marcus and his dad were due to fly back to Sweden on Saturday, cops said. Marcus has difficulty communicating and interacting with others because of his condition, officials said.
Asperger’s is an autism-spectrum disorder that makes socializing with others difficult.
Rosen said that children with Asperger’s tend to wander.
“Even after Avonte (Oquendo), this is still happening every single day,” said Rosen, referring to the 14-year-old Queens boy with autism who was found dead after going missing in 2013. “More than 50% of autistic children wander away from their homes.”
Maybe something got his attention and he went out of the restaurant, said Rosen, who recommends that if someone sees Marcus they shouldn’t engage him in conversation, just keep an eye on him and call police. “A lot of kids with Asperger’s don’t understand danger.”
Standing outside the Hotel Stanford, city dweller Debra Wise was stunned to hear the child had disappeared — and bashed Marcus’ dad for not paying more attention.
“It’s sad, but if you have a kid with a syndrome, he should be looked after,” Wise said.
Resident Mitchell McCabe agreed.
“I’m sure (Marcus) is terrified,” McCabe said. “If he had Asperger’s, the dad should monitor him.”
With Ryan Sit, Rocco Parascandola
