Family searches for missing Philadelphia teen after phone pings in San Diego

6abc
Elizabeth Worthington
January 15, 2026

Police and relatives are searching for an 18-year-old Southwest Philadelphia teen whose phone pinged in San Diego, California.

Family members say Jahmez Cartwright was last seen on Monday morning when he left home for school on the 6500 block of Linmore Avenue.

His mother, LaShante Crocker, said she believed he was taking the SEPTA trolley to Hardy Williams High School, but the school later told her he never arrived.

Friends who had access to his location through iCloud told the family that his phone pinged in California on Tuesday.

“How did he get there? He don’t have ID. Did someone take him?” Crocker said.

Crocker said she learned through the school community that her son had been communicating with a man on the video game platform Roblox.

The family says Cartwright has an intellectual disability and is vulnerable to manipulation.

“Everyone loves Jahmez, everyone. That’s everybody’s favorite,” Crocker said. “I was the first one out of my cousins to have a baby, so he was everyone’s baby.”

The family reported all of the information to police and on Wednesday sought help from the Black and Missing Foundation.

“It was very alarming to us, so we are jumping on this case right away because time is of the essence,” said Natalie Wilson, the organization’s cofounder.

Relatives said they have connections in California and are considering traveling there to search.

“We know someone that’s willing to just try to find him, to start somewhere,” said his grandmother, Lashonda Johnson. “That’s why I’m happy his face is being put everywhere for everyone to see.”

The family said they will not stop looking.

“It’s not even an option. We never gonna give up on him,” Johnson said.

Concerns about child safety on platforms like Roblox have been the focus of investigations and lawsuits in recent years. The company has faced allegations that it does not do enough to protect users from online predators.

Roblox says it continues to innovate its “extensive safety systems” and works with law enforcement to identify and respond to bad actors.

In a statement, the company said, “We were troubled by this report and promptly contacted law enforcement to offer assistance. Our platform is built with safety at its core, including robust policies to help protect users that go beyond many other platforms. We have filters designed to block the sharing of personal information and don’t allow user-to-user image or video sharing. While no system is perfect, our commitment to safety never ends, and we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day. Given this involves an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.”

Wilson said cases like this reflect a broader pattern.

“We see it every day in our work that these individuals are utilizing social media or online gaming apps to connect and groom these young men and women, and they’re making them feel comfortable,” she said. “They know who to prey on – those who are most vulnerable and sadly, it’s happening too often in our communities.”

Philadelphia police have not confirmed whether online communication played a role in Cartwright’s disappearance. Detectives are seeking warrants to obtain more information from his phone and online activity.

In the meantime, the family is urging the public to stay alert and to contact police with any information.

“Someone knows something,” Wilson said. “Even if it’s the smallest tip, we just need one person to come forward with information that could help find and bring Jahmez home.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Mastery Schools, which operates Hardy William High School, said, “We are aware of the current situation involving 18-year-old Hardy Williams High School student, Jahmez Cartwright. Following Mastery Schools policy, the student’s family received an absence notification when he didn’t arrive to school. We remain in touch with the family and law enforcement officials and look forward to his safe return to school.”

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