'Oh my God, it's him': Local baker helps police find missing teen

CLEVELAND — We’ve seen the reports all over Cleveland, hundreds of missing people; some get found, and others are still missing, but police are reminding the public to always keep an eye out; you never know when a simple tip — could bring someone home.

Inside Rudy’s Strudel and Bakery, Lidia Trempe ensures everyone’s stomachs and hearts are full.

“I want to pass that positivity and this camaraderie, like all of us together out to the world if possible, with perigees and kolacki’s,” said Lidia.

She also carried that same attitude Wednesday morning when she thought she spotted a missing 16-year-old boy who was posted on social media walking down West 117th Street.

“I’m like my god is that that young child that’s missing,” said Lidia.

For a second, Lidia contemplated whether or not she should turn around.

“If I don’t know for sure, then that I can’t live with myself because god forbid my child was missing, and somebody didn’t turn around,”

She took a chance and turned around; she drove up right beside the teen and called the name that was posted on Facebook.

“He turns around. He’s like, ‘yeah,’ and at that moment, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it’s him,’” said Lidia.

Village of Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy and the president of Cleveland Missing said the community and social media are crucial in finding missing individuals.

“There’s more members of the public and there are law enforcement officers and so this is why we need to have the public’s help all the time,” Chief Majoy continued, “When Cleveland missing puts out stuff on our social media. We get hundreds of shares, and that’s what we want.”

In every case they work, tips are their biggest asset including this weeks. The 16-year-old went missing from Fairview Park Monday night. Fairview Park Chief Paul Shepard said they spent hours searching, putting calls out to the media and posting on social media.

“They passed it on. There were a lot of people that cared. And they kept looking and we got some good tips,” said Chief Shepard.

That post is why Lidia recognized him; now he’s home.

“I think with anything with law enforcement, we’d like people pay attention. And we like people who do the right things. And in this case, she did,” said Chief Shepard.

Police just hope more people can be like Lidia and simply see something, say something.

“It’s kind of like what we’re supposed to do; this is how I was raised. I mean we’re here for each other. We’re Cleveland,” said Lidia.