Report: Teen who hid in plane wanted to go to Africa to reunite with his biological mother
Hawaii News Now/Screenshot

The story about the teen who hid in a plane's wheel well — and survived a five-hour flight in subzero temperatures from California to Hawaii — is getting even more bizarre. Hawaii News Now reports the teen might have hopped on the Hawaiian Airlines jet because he was trying to get to Africa, where his biological mother lives.
The 16-year-old boy lives with his biological father and stepmother in Santa Clara, Calif., and he reportedly misses his biological mother. Police sources say the teen boarded the first plane he saw at San Jose International Airport on Sunday. The teen told authorities that he passed out shortly after take-off. The Department of Human Services in Hawaii said he's in the care of Child Welfare Services and is working to "ensure the child's safe return" to California soon.
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
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