IS IT HIM? Cops probe possible photo of missing NY autistic teen

Police in New York City are investigating whether a photo of a young boy riding a subway train is that of an autistic boy missing for nearly a month.

The photograph, obtained Wednesday by FoxNews.com, was reportedly taken by a teenager who thought the boy riding an E or F line train on Tuesday was 14-year-old Avonte Oquendo, who was last seen on Oct. 4 walking out of his school in Queens.

Tony Herbert, president of the Brooklyn East chapter of the National Action Network, told the Daily News that the unidentified teenager asked the boy, “Hey, are you Avonte?” The boy didn’t answer and the unidentified teen snapped a picture before getting off the train, the newspaper reports.

The boy in the photo bears such a likeness to Avonte — who is unable to communicate verbally — that even the boy’s father cannot be sure it is or isn’t him.

“Yes, it’s a close likeness,” Daniel Oquendo told the Daily News. “We need to get a better look to really tell. If we could find the individual who took the picture, that would help big time.”

Oquendo said he remains hopeful that one of the possible sightings of his son will eventually be confirmed.

“We just need to stay focused and analyze every sighting,” he said. “The more sightings, the better. Eventually one will pan out … We’re still hopeful.”

The boy in the photo was seen wearing a beige jacket and green khaki pants. Avonte, meanwhile, was last seen wearing a gray striped shirt, black jeans and black sneakers.

The frantic search for Avonte has included the use of his mother’s voice projected from a van in the Queens neighborhood near where he disappeared after inexplicably leaving his school.

“Hi Avonte, it’s mom. Come to the flashing lights, Avonte,” the boy’s mother, Vanessa Fontaine, said in the recording. “It’s mom, Avonte. Hi Avonte, come to the flashing lights. It’s mom.”

An NYPD spokesman told FoxNews.com early Thursday that the search for Avonte remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the boy is asked to call (800) 577-8477.