The Hasidic community in those parts of Brooklyn are VERY close-knit, and in fact are also a very closed community. The Hasidic people only socialize, do business with, buy goods from, rent apartments to and from, and live amongst, other Hasidic people. The families and extended families are huge, and these are the types of neighborhoods where "everyone knows everyone else", literally. If the little boy was abducted, a suspicious outsider would be noticed immediately, IF in fact he was abducted and IF in fact he was abducted by an outsider (i.e., non Hasid). If he was abducted, I would put my cards on the perpetrator being another Hasid, perhaps someone the boy knows from around the neighborhood, perhaps someone in a position of trust or authority.
At this point I just can't imagine him getting on the subway or wanting to go off on a little adventure. The Hasids, and especially the Hasidic children, live extremely sheltered lives. No television, no internet or facebook, no mainstream movies. Most of their day consists of religious-based activities and all playtime is in local parks or apartments inhabited by other Hasidic children.
At this point, the best outcome would be that he is hiding at a friend's house, without the friend's parents' knowledge, but due to the size of these apartments (very small) and the number of people living in them (two adults plus many, many children) I find that to be an unlikely possibility.
My thoughts are with little Leiby tonight. " (
