Family Searches For Disabled Man Missing From Brooklyn Group Home

Update: Michael was found safe in Manhattan on Thursday, his family told Patch.

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — The family of a Brooklyn man with disabilities who went missing from his group home are growing worried as they enter day five of their search, and as fears of post-Election unrest on New York City streets take hold.

Staff at the community living facility on Eastern Parkway first noticed Michael Giancola, 60, was missing on Halloween morning, his brother Chris Giancola told Patch.

It was not the first time Michael — who has schizophrenia and is largely deaf — has gone missing from the home, including another scare last week, his brother said. The facility is staffed but the most part lets its residents come and go freely.

But anxiety started to grow when Michael didn't show up at his parent's house in Bay Ridge, as he usually does thanks to a near-perfect sense of direction.

"We don't usually ever freak out on day one because this has happened before — [but] after day two it seems like for whatever reason he can't make it back," Giancola said. "We're on day five. It's very worrying."

The Giancolas are particularly worried about the stretch of time given that Michael is going on several days without medication for his schizophrenia and likely has run out of battery in his hearing aids.

It is also believed he left the group home into the cold weather wearing denim shorts, though he also has a coat and winter cap.

The family filed a police report on Saturday and have spent the week calling hospitals, getting out the word on social media and following possible sightings around the borough, most recently at a CVS in Sheepshead Bay.

Worry was particularly high Tuesday and Wednesday given the potential of protests or violence surrounding Election Day, Chris said. The NYPD and businesses across the five boroughs have been actively preparing for post-Election unrest.

"This has been a crazy year — you’ve had all the violence — and my brother is out there," Chris said. "He’s a big buy…but he’s not a violent guy. If he happens to be in the middle of some crazy scene, we are concerned."

Michael is the type of person who would offer someone the coat off his back or lend a cigarette to anyone who asks, Chris said.

The Giancolas believe he is most likely to be found in some of the busier areas of the borough, as he has been in the past.

"He goes to hangout on a bench on a main thoroughfare where there's pizzerias or delis around," Chris said.

If someone sees him, they should call 911 for an ambulance since it will get there quickly and Michael will likely need medical attention, Chris said. Then, they can call the 71st Precinct, who can notify the family.

Depending on how he is doing, Michael will likely be sitting quietly or could be "talking gibberish," Chris said, though either way it is safe to approach him and try to help.

"Even if he's acting that way, he won't act violent," Chris said. "The best thing is to offer him a coffee, or a slice of pizza, or a cigarette — he will most likely accept it and be willing to just stay there."

More information and photos of Michael can be found here. He currently has a beard similar to the photo on the far right: