A nine-year-old boy lost in New York City was later found exuberant thanks to his impromptu adventure, giving us all a remarkable story that is equal parts Baby's Day Out and Home Alone 2, minus the Sticky Bandits of course.
The New York Daily News (h/t CBS New York) reports a young boy was separated from his family while vacationing in New York, which is most definitely cause for alarm and worry. Thankfully, the story takes an interesting and rather wonderful turn.
You see, Chris Villavicencio wasn't the least bit scared when he was lost amid the streets and frenzy of New York. Instead, the resourceful kid decided to make good ol' fashioned lemonade out of his lemon-riddled plight.
When found, Villavicencio had this to say: "This was the greatest day of my life because this was the first day I was at the police station," which we assume isn't something parents ever want their kids to proclaim.
As the Cotwells and McCallisters will tell you, losing a child, even for two hours as the Villavicencios did recently, is no laughing matter.
According to the report, Chris was separated form his parents and younger sister around 4:30 in the afternoon as the family enjoyed the Central Park Zoo. Rather than freak out as a younger version of myself would have, Chris simply meandered about the town until he was found at the Port Authority Terminal.
Fortunately, this story has a happy ending, because from the point at which the family was separated to where Chris was found is about a mile, according to the report.
The Daily News states Chris has mild autism and the parents, who live in Union City (N.J.), do not speak English. With all of that, it's a small miracle that the nine-year-old was found so quickly.
When found, the happy child merely explained, "I tried to find my parents, but I couldn't." We presume that's the instant Chris decided to go from fearful and afraid to motivated and adventurous, searching beyond the zoo for tantalizing treasures.
It's a story ripped straight from Hollywood, only missing bumbling bad guys, hilarious hijinx and one delicious cheese pizza.
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