Although they are admittedly befuddled by the case, North Bergen police are still actively pursuing every lead in the disappearance of an 18-year-old North Bergen resident who apparently just vanished after leaving a wedding in Union City Aug. 4.
Minkesh Patel was attending his friend’s wedding at the Taste of India catering facility in Union City when he told his aunt that he was going outside for five minutes. It was 1:30 p.m. He never returned.
By midnight, the Patel family called the police to tell them that Minkesh was missing.
“He would not run off on his own,” said his uncle, Dipak Patel. “He may have gone off with someone, but he doesn’t know many people. Maybe he found someone who was Indian and started talking to them. But we honestly don’t know.”
The first clues in the disappearance came when North Bergen detectives found that someone tried to use Minkesh Patel’s automated teller machine (ATM) card at 2:22 p.m. in the Port Authority bus terminal – less than an hour after Minkesh Patel was last seen at the wedding.
“There was an attempted transaction, but it didn’t go through,” said North Bergen Lt. Joseph Bode.
“Unfortunately, the security camera monitoring that ATM was not working, so we can’t determine who it was that tried to use the card.”
At 8:30 a.m. the next morning (Aug. 5), there was another attempt at the same machine.
“Again, the transaction failed, because perhaps the wrong pin number was given,” Bode said. “This time, the card was flagged.”
There had been a report that Minkesh was also spotted that afternoon outside a liquor store near the Indian wedding facility talking to three males, but that lead has produced no further clues to his whereabouts.
“He’s still missing and we have no idea where he is,” Bode said. “We honestly don’t know. We have absolutely nothing to go on right now.”
The concern of the Patel family has been growing with every passing day that Minkesh remains missing. It’s been over a week and the speculation is building.
“Day by day, it gets more complicated,” Dipak Patel said. “We’re running out of ideas what we could do. We spent an hour [Tuesday] with the North Bergen police, asking what we could do next. We’ve put out fliers and contacted the newspapers and television stations, but no one has any answers. We’re more and more confused and frustrated that we can’t do anything.”
Dipak Patel said that his nephew arrived in the United States from India five years ago, attending North Bergen High School for three years. He dropped out to get a job and was a conscientious young man who had aspirations to purchase his own convenience store, Dipak Patel said.
“He was very responsible and did what he was told,” Patel said. “He hardly went anywhere by himself. He didn’t drink or use drugs. He was very religious. He was basically a very good young man.”
According to his uncle, Minkesh worked for another uncle at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Jersey City.
“I had a talk with him and told him how important it was for him to go to school,” Dipak Patel said. “But he wanted to work so he could own his own business. He had his mind made up. He wanted to make money.”
Patel cannot believe that his nephew could simply vanish during the middle of broad daylight.
“It’s very bizarre,” Patel said. “There were people standing outside. There were about 50 to 60 people at the wedding. If he was grabbed or something, someone would have had to see it happen. At this point, nothing makes sense.”
The Patel family has been praying for Minkesh’s safe return, but after 11 days of prayer, the concern grows deeper.
“My mother and sister have been thinking negative things, but we’ve all been so emotional,” Dipak Patel said. “But I’ve told them that it does nothing to cry. It doesn’t help. So we’re trying not to worry too much, because right now, there’s nothing we can do.”
Added Dipak Patel, “Even though it’s getting more frustrating, we’re hoping that Minkesh just finds his way home. We hope that he’s safe and we hope that he comes home very soon.”
Bode is befuddled by the case.
“It’s too hard to speculate what could have happened,” Bode said. “Some times, in cases like this, we can understand the circumstances. There might have been a dispute and the kid could have run away. But his relatives say that he’s a good kid, a responsible kid, so who knows? He disappears at 1:30 p.m. in broad daylight in a strip mall. We honestly just don’t know. We have absolutely no clue.”
North Bergen police describe Minkesh Patel as 4-foot-10 and weighing 125 pounds. When last seen, he was wearing blue jeans and sneakers and a black shirt with two white stripes across the front and a floral design.
Hernando Alvarado, a local community activist, encouraged other members of the community to help. He said that he has been putting up posters, and that local businesses have been very supportive. “We’re very concerned about Minkesh Patel,” Alvarado said. “The bottom line is this. We as a community are coming together to help search for this individual.”
If anyone knows anything about the disappearance of Minkesh Patel, they are encouraged to call the North Bergen detective bureau at (201) 392-2100. To volunteer to help put up posters, call Alvarado at (201) 923-3310 anytime.