UTICA, N.Y. (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – Eyewitness News Reporter Lauren Brill spoke more with Utica Police Department’s Sergeant Michael Curley in regard to the events surrounding last night’s false Amber Alert and it turns out the entire story was fabricated by the teen herself and the two family members that initially reported her missing.

“There was never a vehicle involved. There was never two individuals that exited a vehicle to accost this individual. She never entered into a vehicle. The vehicle never fled in a particular direction. So, we are still trying to determine the ethology of how this story came about. But we do know that it was a concocted story amongst the three, and at not point, including the general public, was anyone placed in any danger during this entire investigation.” – Sergeant Michael Curley, Utica Police Department

The information that was given to police at the start of the incident seemed to be from credible sources and considering the nature of what was transpiring, prompted the quick and urgent response of all those involved.

“The two individuals reporting this story, maintained it for upwards of three hours. So, we were chasing our tales basically for a lie. They were very accurate with their story details and they provided significant details about the incident which led us to believe that there may be some credibility.” – Sergeant Michael Curley, Utica Police Department

Although this incident turned out to be a false report, authorities say that the public should never be scared off or discouraged from reporting something to authorities if they believe something is wrong.

“The old adage of ‘See Something Say Something’ always remains. I hope this incident doesn’t dissuade anyone from calling if they see something suspicious.”

Due to the ages of the individuals involded, Sergeant Curley says that any charges will be handed down through the Family Court system.

Eyewitness News will have the full interview during our nightly broadcast at @6pm on channel 20.

UTICA, N.Y. (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – Around 9:00pm on Thursday November 11^th an Amber Alert was issued in the City of Utica for a 14-year-old girl. The Utica Police Department is now reporting that after investigating, the missing teenager was never actually abducted.

At 5:30pm Thursday evening, the UPD arrived at the scene near Arthur Street and Steuben Street in Utica after receiving a call about an alleged abduction that had taken place in the area. It was reported that the victim was walking her family when suddenly a vehicle pulled up next to them. Two people then exited the exited the vehicle and then allegedly forced the girl into the car.

Investigators immediately issued an Amber Alert for the abducted child and spent the next several hours investigating the events that had taken place up to that point.

While that was taking place, the alleged victim then made contact with her family, who then put her in contact with the investigators in charge of the case. After making contact, UPD was then able to physically locate the teenager and determined that she was in good health. 

Once the initial investigation was over, investigators did a more thorough investigation of what happened. This included reviewing surveillance video, interviewing witnesses, and collecting all relevant pieces of evidence they could find. They have concluded that the event did not occur, and that the teenage girl was not abducted or ever in any real danger. Her identity will not be released at this time.

Eyewitness News asked the UPD if they believed there was any wrong doing or malicious intent behind the false report and if there were any possible charges that may be handed down in the future as a result and they made the following statement.

“We are going to speak with the attorneys today from the District Attorny’s Office and County Attorny to see if charges are warranted. The family just provided us with the information they were provided so I don’t know that they did anything wrong necessarily.” – Sergeant Michael Curley, Utica Police Department

The UPD would like to thank the local community for quickly sharing posts and alerts and providing critical information.

“It once again demonstrates how this local community comes to together in times of need. ” – The Utica Police Department