STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A New Jersey family is growing increasingly concerned after a 16-year-old girl went missing. The girl\u2019s relatives believe she may be on Staten Island.<\/p>\n
Bella Caceres was last seen Thursday, March 12, at her home in Phillipsburg, N.J., according to family members.<\/p>\n
Caceres is described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and about 100 pounds. She has hazel eyes and black hair that may have been dyed red. She has no tattoos or piercings.<\/p>\n
At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a gray short-sleeve shirt with black stripes along both shoulders and either the number 95 or 98 on the back, blue jeans and black Crocs.<\/p>\n
Her family believes she may have traveled to Staten Island to meet someone she connected with online. They said the Phillipsburg Police Department used her phone signal to identify a possible location near the Mariners Harbor Houses.<\/p>\n
According to the family, officers went to that location to conduct a wellness check, but no one answered the door. The family said they have not received any updates from police since that visit.<\/p>\n
Family members said they are especially concerned because Caceres has special needs.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the NYPD referred the Advance\/SILive.com to the Phillipsburg Police Department, which confirmed the teen has been reported missing. <\/p>\n
The family said they also filed a report with the NYPD, but described the response as slow, prompting them to travel to Staten Island to search for her themselves.<\/p>\n
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD\u2019s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). <\/p>\n