A 14-year-old boy with autism has been found in good condition Wednesday afternoon after he went missing for more than 24 hours, police said.
Stephen Liu was found in the Brimley Road and Sheppard Avenue East area at approximately 4:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Police had ramped up their search for Liu, who was last seen leaving his North York junior high school at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on a bicycle. When the teen didn't arrive at home that afternoon, his family reported him missing.
On Wednesday afternoon, police brought Liu home, wrapped in a police jacket in the rain.
Const. Garth Levy, the officer who spotted the teen, said Liu told him he was hungry and wanted to go home.
"I said ‘OK Stephen, we've got you, we'll take you home," Levy told CTV Toronto.
On Tuesday evening, search teams had started combing the area around Zion Heights Junior High.
Police resumed their search on Wednesday morning and had set up a command post at Leslie Street and Cummer Avenue. The post was later moved to 3230 Bayview Ave.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sgt. Greg Watts said Toronto police were concerned about Liu's disappearance.
"He's a young child and he's alone, possibly…that's the major concern and the weather could impact things as well," he said.
Police had also upgraded the search for Liu to a "level three."
"When we do a level three search, it means we've exhausted all the resources we can dedicate and are now receiving assistance from other divisions," Const. Wendy Drummond told CTVToronto.ca.
Officers on horseback trotted north on the Don Valley Parkway on Wednesday afternoon, heading to the police command post to assist with the search.
Drummond said mounted officers are typically dispatched to search rough terrain and forested areas.
With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman and Austin Delaney
