A non-verbal autistic boy from Texas who went missing for hours in New York City was found safe after making an extraordinary solo journey—walking over four miles—just to catch a glimpse of the Empire State Building.
Seven-year-old Ruwaid Karim had been enjoying breakfast with his mother, Farjana Akond, at Dera Restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, around 11:45 a.m. on Friday. In a brief moment, everything changed.
“I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, and just in two minutes, I see he disappeared,” Akond told Daily News. “He’s never been out on the street, so I was very worried.”
Frantic and overwhelmed, Akond quickly alerted authorities, prompting the NYPD to circulate multiple images of Karim, including one of him inside the restaurant moments before he left.
The search came to a turning point when a Good Samaritan spotted the young boy walking along E. 61st Street in Manhattan—4.2 miles away from where he had vanished.
Just as he was approaching a potentially dangerous intersection, the woman acted without hesitation. She ran after him, guiding him to safety before contacting emergency services.
“On 58th, he went across the crosswalk when it was still red, and there were cars coming,” she said during a press conference.
She went on to explain that Karim, who is fascinated by New York City landmarks, continued his dash into 57th Street where he encountered even more traffic.
“There were two different cars going each way that stopped and they were honking their horns, and he just kept going, and I was trying to get him but I didn’t want to get hit either, so he was a little more of a hero than I was running into the middle of the street,” she explained.
Officers arrived at the scene shortly after and were able to identify him as the missing boy. Moments later, he was reunited with his anxious but relieved mother and sister.
Authorities determined that Karim had successfully navigated the bustling NYC subway system all on his own in order to reach Manhattan, a feat that stunned his family.
“[The police said] there’s no other options. To get there, he had to take the train,” Akond said.
“Even on the cameras, they notice that he went down the subway,” she added. The experience had left her shaken. She described those hours without him as a “horrible three hours.”
“The only thing that was coming to my mind was what could happen while crossing the streets? He’s never been in the bus or train by himself. I was thinking all the bad stuff. It was tough.”
Akond revealed that this trip to New York had been part of a family plan to visit the city’s famous landmarks. Unfortunately, they hadn’t yet made it to the most iconic one.
“We are just here for to visit the New York landmarks. He’s very interested in landmarks,” she shared.
“[He wants to see] the Empire State Building and 1 World Trade Center. He wants to visit the [site of the] Avengers Tower.”
It’s clear that the dream of seeing the city’s architectural marvels had taken root deeply in the non-verbal autistic Texas boy, inspiring his solo journey through one of the busiest cities in the world.
After the ordeal, Akond was overcome with gratitude that her son had returned safe and sound.
“He was very, very close [to getting there]. I never thought he could do that,” she said.
At the time he was found, Karim was just 1.8 miles—or about a 41-minute walk—from the Empire State Building.
Despite the scare, Karim seemed unfazed. According to his mother, he was “acting like there’s nothing to worry about.”
By Saturday morning, Ruwaid was seen beaming in a photograph, standing next to his mother, the heroic Good Samaritan, and two NYPD officers. In his hands, he proudly held a figurine of the Statue of Liberty, a miniature Eiffel Tower, and an NYPD patch—tiny trophies from his adventure.
His mother said that Karim already appears to be preparing for his next big outing. He’s always been fascinated with maps and navigation.
“He has a very good photographic memory of the maps,” she said. “So whenever he is with a device, he loves to browse the maps. He wants to see how to get there.”
Whether or not Karim finally got to see the Empire State Building remains unclear—but his determination, curiosity, and courage have already made a remarkable impression on everyone who hears his story.
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