NYC Construction Worker Known as 'Second Avenue Sinatra' Reported Missing
He reportedly said he wanted to go to an island and never come back.
— -- A construction worker in New York City who became known as the "Second Avenue Sinatra" for his famous lunchtime street concerts has been reported missing, according to the NYPD.
The iron worker, Gary Russo, sounded like Frank Sinatra and wowed pedestrians a few years ago with his singing by a 2nd Avenue subway construction site in Manhattan during his lunch breaks.
Now, family and friends are trying to figure out where Russo is after he reportedly left his house on July 27 and never came back, an NYPD public information officer told ABC News today.
Russo's ex-wife officially reported him missing this past Monday after finding his car unoccupied and parked 20 blocks away from his Queens home, police said.
"His ex-wife said she found his car, and police canvassed the car and area, but Russo was not found," the NYPD spokesman said. "We can cannot reveal the details and leads of the investigation, but the investigation is active and ongoing."
Russo apparently told a friend recently that things weren't going very well for him and that he wanted to jump on a plane, go to an island and never come back, ABC News station WABC-TV reported.
"It's not like Gary," family friend Apryl Nebozenko told WABC. "Gary has two daughters, he has a lot of friends and it doesn't make any sense. He has performances that are still coming up."
She added that the family found a $210 charge for a Delta flight, though it was unclear where the flight was to.
Delta did not immediately respond to ABC News' calls to request additional information.
The singing construction worker's sister-in-law, Leanora Russo, told WABC she lives with him and that she heard him leaving.
"I looked out the window, [and] he was gone," she said. "I texted him. I said, 'Gary, where are you going at 1:15 in the morning?' He never answered me."
Leanora Russo added that the family has been unable to contact Gary Russo since.
ABC News was not immediately successful in contacting Gary Russo's family for additional comment and information.
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