Missing LI teen safe in Virginia, man faces kidnapping charges, Suffolk cops say

Suffolk police located a missing 15-year-old boy with autism in Virginia on Wednesday and law enforcement there took a 20-year-old man into custody, authorities said.

Fifth Squad detectives tracked the two to a Montgomery County rest stop, police said, adding that local multiple law enforcement found them sleeping in a vehicle at 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Initially, the teenager, who was reported missing by his family at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, had last been seen leaving his residence two hours earlier, police said.

An investigation by Suffolk detectives determined the boy had been communicating with a man living in Tennessee through an instant messaging application and "had possibly been taken out of state by the individual," Suffolk police said in a statement.

The man, whose name has been withheld by police, was taken into custody without incident, authorities said. He is being transported to Suffolk County where he will face kidnapping charges, according to police.

The teenager, whose hometown was not immediately released, will be placed in the custody of his family, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Fifth Squad at 631-854-8552.