15-year-old boy goes missing after travelling to New York to meet someone he met on Roblox

roblox

• 15-year-old Thomas Medlin missing after trip to NYC to meet Roblox contact
• Last seen at Grand Central Terminal, later footage places him in Brooklyn
• Family and police urge public help; Roblox cooperating with investigation

Did our AI summary help?

A family on Long Island is desperately searching for their teenage son, who has been missing for more than two weeks after travelling alone to New York City to meet someone he reportedly met on the online gaming platform Roblox.

Fifteen-year-old Thomas Medlin was last seen on Friday, January 9, after leaving school early from the Stony Brook School on Long Island. According to police, he left the campus around 3.30 pm and boarded a Long Island Rail Road train heading toward Manhattan.

Security camera footage later showed Thomas at Grand Central Terminal at around 5.30 pm that evening. That sighting is believed to be the last confirmed one in Manhattan. Investigators say additional footage later placed him somewhere in Brooklyn, but his exact location since then remains unknown.

For his family, the disappearance has been both shocking and terrifying. Thomas’s mother, Eva Yan, told local media that her son’s actions are completely out of character. She described him as a good student who is well liked and has never run away before.

“He has never done anything like this,” she said, adding that the cold winter weather has made the situation even more worrying. The family has been searching shelters and other places where he might seek help, fearing he could be vulnerable.

Thomas’s father, James Medlin, said he was stunned when he learned his son had left without telling anyone. Like many parents, he is struggling to understand what might have led Thomas to make such a decision.

Police believe Thomas may have travelled to the city to meet someone he connected with through Roblox, a popular gaming platform used by millions of children and teenagers worldwide. The Suffolk County Police Department issued a public alert on January 12 asking for help from the public.

Thomas is described as white, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing around 130 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with red stripes, dark sweatpants with white stripes, glasses, and carrying a black backpack.

Roblox has said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement. In a statement, the company said it reviewed activity linked to the case and did not find evidence that Thomas was encouraged to move conversations off the platform or share personal contact information. The company added that while it continues to improve safety systems, no online platform can ever be completely risk free.

Police are urging anyone who may have seen Thomas or has information about his whereabouts to come forward.