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BOSTON — A Hanover Area graduate now living in New England went missing last Wednesday after attending a Boston Celtics game.
Michael Kelleher, 23, of Southborough, Mass., graduated from Hanover Area High School in 2011, according to classmate Michelle Bugonowicz.
Bugonowicz said she met Kelleher on the first day of school when she was asked to give him a tour. They bonded over their mutual love for basketball.
“He loved anything basketball,” recalled Bugonowicz, of Wilkes-Barre.
They often went to the courts to play ball. Though the Kelleher family moved to Massachusetts after Michael’s graduation, Bugonowicz said the two remained friends thanks to social media.
“We’d joke around and stay in touch,” she said.
NBC4 Boston is reporting Kelleher is 6 feet 2 inches tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. During the game, Kelleher was wearing a Celtics jersey and hat, a gray sweatshirt, brown khakis and black sneakers.
His mother, Lori Tavella Kelleher, told the news station his bank and credit cards haven’t been used since he went missing.
“It’s so unlike Mike,” Bugonowicz said. “It’s out of his character to shut off social media, not answer text messages or not talk to his parents.”
A Boston police spokesperson called it an “active, ongoing” investigation, but there have been no further updates since last week. Southborough police officers were unable to provide any additional information Monday afternoon.
Lori’s Facebook page, “Help Find Michael Kelleher,” says her son’s last known location was Paul Revere Park, where he attempted to order an Uber ride.
Bugonowicz said there are search parties looking for her friend in Boston, and the family is looking to hire a private investigator.
Lori also set up a GoFundMe account to help offset the $15,000 expense for the investigator. The account says the last ping from his cell phone was picked up around 9:30 p.m. March 29.
The family is asking individuals with tips on Michael’s whereabouts to use “#findMichaelKelleher” to pass along the information.