EAST ORANGE, N.J. (WCBS 880) — New Jersey authorities and the family of a missing 14-year-old girl urged for her return Friday amid a frantic search since her disappearance three weeks ago.
Jashyah Moore was last seen returning back to Poppie's Deli in East Orange on the morning of Oct. 14 after she lost her mother's credit card from an earlier trip.
Authorities said she never came back.
In a press conference Friday morning, investigators announced The Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura's Crime Stoppers Program is offering up to $10,000 for any information leading to Moore's safe return.
Store employees said they saw Moore walking into the deli with an older man who paid for her items as surveillance footage shows. However, the footage did not show the two leaving the store together.
"Our detectives and police officers are working closely and diligently with our partnering agencies analyzing data and following up all tips that lead us to Jashyah's safe return," said East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi.
Moore is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds, police said. She was last seen wearing khaki pants, a black jacket and black boots.
Her mother, Jamie Moore, said Friday that her daughter is smart and would know better than to go off with a stranger.
"She would not stay out, she would not go out, go off with anyone. She's a homebody, she plays video games, she likes to cook, she plays with her little brother, he's like her best friend. I cannot imagine what she might be going through, just being away from us for this long, away from her family who loves her very much," she said.
Bindi pushed for a community effort in order to bring Jashyah safely home.
"We need our entire community, our neighboring towns, all the traffic flyers [that were] sent out throughout our tri-county, New York, New Jersey Transit and beyond," she said.
"If anybody knows anything, please, please come forward," her mother Jamie said, begging for help. "My baby is going to high school. She's a good girl. Please, please."
Anyone with information is asked to call 877-TIPS-4EC or 973-266-5041.