Where was Shay Shah last seen? Missing Indian-American teen sparks concern online

On Sunday, July 16, 19-year-old Shay Shah was reported missing by his parents. According to Legacy Memories Adieu, the Indian-American teen was last seen on Saturday near Linda Lane and West Gate Drive in Edison, New Jersey. He reportedly left the area on foot and never returned. The search is currently underway, and authorities have not disclosed the possibility of foul play.

Shay Shah's disappearance has prompted many Indian-American netizens to circulate information about the missing teen. Officials have not discussed any potential reason why Shah may have left home. New Jersey authorities described him as a 5-foot-8-inch Indian male with black hair and brown eyes. He weighs approximately 140 pounds.

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A community rallies together in the search for Shay Shah

In an online post, Shay Shah's parents, Rich and Kalpana Shah, released details about the teen's disappearance. As reported by American Kahani, the Shah family used to live in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but relocated to Edison, New Jersey. The search for the teen has spread across multiple members of Edison's Indian American community.

The post by Rich Shah read:

“We have not heard from or been able to contact our son Shay since early this morning. If you’ve heard from him today, or hear from him or see him going forward, please let me, Kalpana, or Sahil know.”

While officials reported that Shah was last seen near West Gate Drive, another online source from Edison claimed that someone saw the teen near Newark Penn Station at approximately 11 am on Saturday. In a series of online posts, several concerned members of the community shared all the information they knew about the case on Facebook.

Many netizens around New Jersey attempting to trace the teen's movements (image via Facebook/Tarang Soni)

Since the teen was seen at Newark Penn station, there is a fear that he may have crossed over State lines, leading concerned netizens to broaden the radius of the search effort (Image via Facebook/Jennifer Treacy Cole)

Since the teen's family lived in Bethlehem, many old friends from Pennsylvania also spread the worse about Shay Shah's disappearance (image via Facebook/ Lisa Picione)

Many people posted the original plea for help from the Shah family, while others provided numbers they could potentially call (image via Facebook/Vibha Mistry)

In many cases, family friends of the Shahs also independently provided their own contact details. (image via Facebook/Deven Unadkat)

Rich and Kalpana Shah have not discussed any of the circumstances leading up to Shay Shah's disappearance. As the case is still in the early stages of investigation, officials have not disclosed any information about the teen's mental state at the time of his disappearance.

As the teen left on foot, it appears he left by choice and was not taken by anyone. Any civilians who see Shay Shah are urged to call local authorities.