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16-year-old New York girl missing for days after flying to London is found safe, man arrested

When the teen's father came home from work Saturday, she and her clothes were gone, and the front door of their Queens home was open.

LONDON — A 16-year-old girl who had been missing since she flew on her own from New York to London on Saturday was found safe Wednesday, law enforcement officials said.

Victoria Grabowski was found in Nottingham, England, and was waiting to be reunited with her family, the officials told NBC New York. London's Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a man in connection with her dayslong disappearance, the officials said.

Victoria wasn't at her Queens, New York, home when her father, Radoslaw Grabowski, got home from work Saturday, her uncle, Arkadiusz "Erick" Grabowski, told NBC News.

Radoslaw Grabowski came home in the afternoon to find the front door wide open and Victoria's clothes missing. He and Victoria's mother tried calling and texting her, to no avail. After the parents left a message that they were going to contact police, subsequent calls went straight to voicemail, Arkadiusz Grabowski said.

Image: Victoria Grabowski
Victoria Grabowski.NYPD

The Metropolitan Police Department said it was coordinating with the New York City Police Department to find the teen, who they believe flew into Heathrow Airport.

The NYPD said it was investigating. A missing-persons flyer from the department said Victoria is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs 110 pounds and has blue eyes and blonde hair.

Her family was unsure what she was wearing when she vanished.

After Victoria disappeared, her parents learned through the family's cellphone records that she had been searching for flights to London on her phone, Arkadiusz Grabowski said. They also confirmed that she boarded a plane headed to London from John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday evening, the girl's uncle said, adding that investigators told the family that Victoria paid for her ticket in cash.

Victoria's parents immigrated to the United States from Poland about two decades ago, her uncle said. She and her brother were born in the U.S.

The family was confused by her disappearance as Victoria did not seem rebellious, Arkadiusz Grabowski said. "She was an honor student, a very good girl, she didn’t have boyfriends, didn’t go out. Very quiet honor student," he said.

He said her parents were concerned she may have gone to London to meet an older boy her mother saw her chatting with online. When her mother asked who the person was, the teen answered, "It's nobody, just a friend."

Caroline Radnofsky reported from London, and Elisha Fieldstadt from New York.