the family has been very forthcoming with information.
Mason was found intoxicated in his home by his parents. My impression about what Dad stated on Nextdoor is that there are not a whole lot of friends. Mason was not hanging with friends as he doesn't seem to have friends. My impression, although not stated, is that this is a depressed teen, homeschooled for that reason. My impression is he was drinking at home alone. Parents discovered this, confronted him and he took off down the street. Neighbors doorbell cameras showed him smashing his phone and parents were able to retrieve phone.
He has not been seen since this camera view.
He was wearing shorts and a sweatshirt, and its cold at night. He has no id, no money, no phone. He lives near a bluff to the mudflats which are similar to quicksand and the tides come in fast. However, the bluffs and the flats and the woods near the house have been fully searched and there is no sign of mason.
He has mentioned knowing someone in the valley. This is why they consider he might have hitched a ride to the valley. There are buses - and hitchhiking is not terribly uncommon compared to the rest of the country - i would, even if driving alone - pick up a young person hitchhiking without much caution.
This is not a case of a kid run wild and partying with friends. Mason is a homeschooled homebody. He may have friends but they are likely online friends, and he does not have an electronic way to contact them. The library does have public use PCs, so i suppose that is possible.
Lots of locals assume its just a party kid run away. After reading what dad wrote about Mason and the circumstances, I am very concerned for Mason's safety, I do not believe he's a party kid hanging out with friends getting wasted. At about the same age, my son was also depressive and had no friends. I see that this could have been us, this could have been my son and I hope every day that Mason is out partying with friends. That is the best case scenario.