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In an interview, Laurie Alber recalled how her son, Nick Alber, was discovered late last week after his disappearance from the facility the previous Sunday. His disappearance received news coverage in the region as a result.
Alber remembered receiving a message on Facebook from a woman who notified her about finding Nick, who is 17. She said that the woman encountered him at a beach on Coney Island, across the street from a hotel, where they had a conversation on Thursday night, Sept. 11. Alber added that Nick told the woman his name and that she found the conversation to be strange.
The woman, according to Alber, then looked up his name online and found out about his disappearance. Then, she alerted Alber through Facebook, which was being used as a venue to assist in the search. Alber recalled seeing the message on Friday morning, Sept. 12. Later that day, a friend of the family's who lives in Queens went to the area of the previous conversation and found Nick remaining there, according to Alber. It was also discovered that Nick made a campsite.
Nick was then reunited with his family later that day, according to Alber. The family lives in Niskayuna, N.Y., a suburb of Albany.
Alber does not fault Green Chimneys, which has facilities near Brewster and in Carmel . She praised the program -- Nick had been enrolled in since January -- and its staff. However, she explained that he can't return because he is too much of a flight risk.
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