Exclusive: Mother battling cancer pleads for missing Greenwood Lake teens safe return
Uri Colon, 15, disappeared six days ago with a friend. Police say both are considered runaways and were last seen on surveillance video in Key West, Florida.
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A Greenwood Lake mother fighting cancer is pleading for her missing 15-year-old son to come home after he disappeared nearly a week ago with another teenager.
Brenda Lugo spoke with News 12 on Tuesday, surrounded by reminders of her son — his dog, a stuffed animal they share and family photos hanging on the wall.
“All of this is going to make me cry,” she said softly, looking through pictures of Uri Colon as a young boy. “I know he’s 15, but this is still how I see him.”
Lugo says Uri and another 15-year-old friend left home Thursday without telling anyone. She believes the boys were trying to reunite with Uri’s girlfriend, who recently moved to new Jersey.
“It’s all very Romeo and Juliet,” Lugo said. “They decided to go together … it’s like a Bonnie and Clyde effort to rescue her.”
According to the Greenwood Lake Police Department, the boys are considered runaways. Investigators believe they traveled through Trenton, New Jersey, and Philadelphia before arriving in Key West, Florida, where surveillance footage from a local coffee shop showed them together and not appearing to be in distress.
Police have not released any additional details about the case.
Lugo, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, says Uri left behind a letter urging her to keep fighting.
“I’m so sorry, Mom. Please keep fighting cancer and don’t give up,” the note reads.
She says those words are what keep her going.
“I love you. I need you to come home,” Lugo told News 12. “I just pray they make it back safely.”
Police have not released information about the second teen at the request of his family.
Anyone with information on where the boys might be is asked to contact the Greenwood Lake Police Department at 845-477-9211.
