Delta police are taking over the search for Surrey teen Joseph Chen and asking anyone with dash camera footage of the Alex Fraser Bridge around the time he was last seen to contact them.
Chen, 14, was reported missing to Surrey RCMP after being last seen leaving Holy Cross School in the area of 162 Street and 88 Avenue at 2:30 p.m. on March 2.
Chen is described as a 14-year-old Asian male, 5’ 6” tall and weighing 123 lbs, with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a khaki jacket with brown pajama pants featuring teddy bears on the pant legs.
As a result of information learned during the RCMP’s investigation, the file was transferred to the Delta Police Department as lead investigative agency on March 8, meaning all tips regarding Chen’s whereabouts should now be directed to the DPD.
In update posted the DPD’s social media channels Thursday afternoon (March 9), police say that after leaving school Chen boarded a transit bus, disembarking some time later on Annacis Island.
CCTV shows Chen walking southbound on the east sidewalk of the Alex Fraser Bridge, but footage recorded shortly after that sighting shows he was no longer on the sidewalk.
Police say Chen has not used his Compass Card, cellphone or bank card since that time.
Investigators are seeking dash camera video or witnesses who may have seen Chen on the Alex Fraser Bridge March 2 between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
Anyone who travelled over the bridge during this time and saw Chen on the east sidewalk, or who travelled over the bridge and has a dash camera in their car, is asked to contact the Delta Police Department at 604-946-4411 and quote TIP file number 2023-5513.
Police say the transition from Surrey RCMP as lead agency to the DPD is consistent with provincial policy guiding missing persons investigations, noting the two departments have been working collectively since the onset of the investigation.
editor@northdeltareporter.com
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