A Philadelphia mother is pleading for answers after her 16-year-old daughter, Andrea Hernandez, vanished under troubling circumstances last month.
Andrea was last seen on Sept. 26, 2025, at Achieve Academy East, where she had reportedly called her mother earlier that day to say a classmate was threatening to fight her.
Andrea’s mother, Lauren Johnson, says she last spoke to her daughter around 1:00 p.m., when Andrea told her there was a girl waiting outside the bathroom who had been harassing her.
Moments later, Lauren said her calls started going unanswered. By the time the school called her back, administrators told her that Andrea had been dismissed early and placed on the Route 57 SEPTA bus “to avoid a violent confrontation.” She never made it home.
“I just want to know where my daughter is,” Lauren said. “She called me scared. Then the school sent her off alone, and now nobody can tell me what happened.”
According to a notice from the Philadelphia Police Department, Andrea was last seen leaving Achieve Academy East at 4224 North Front Street around 1:30 p.m.
She is described as 5 feet 1 inch tall, weighing approximately 230 pounds, with brown eyes and blond hair. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a black shirt, black pants, and khaki New Balance sneakers.
Four days after Andrea went missing, her cell phone was found by a maintenance worker at Marion Terrace Apartments in Upper Darby, nearly an hour from where she was last seen. The phone was turned into the leasing office, where Lauren later retrieved it — but it offered no clues about Andrea’s movements after she left the school.
Lauren alleges that David Wong, the director of Achieve Academy East, has been unresponsive to her requests for surveillance footage or assistance from the school.
“He told me she wasn’t their responsibility once she left the campus,” she said. “But they were the last people to see her alive. I feel like they’re hiding something.”
Community members have since rallied online, with Andrea’s photo circulating widely on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok under the hashtag #FindAndreaHernandez. Social media users have also criticized the school’s handling of the situation, questioning why a minor was sent home alone after reporting threats of violence.
Police have not yet confirmed whether foul play is suspected. Northeast Detectives are leading the investigation and urge anyone with information to call 215-686-3153 or dial 911.
Andrea’s disappearance has shaken Philadelphia’s Latino community, particularly in the North Front Street corridor, where she was well-known among classmates and neighbors. Her mother describes her as “kind, funny, and family-oriented,” a girl who “never ran away from home before” and dreamed of becoming a hairstylist.
“Every night, I just hope someone will see her picture and call,” Lauren said through tears. “I don’t want another day to go by not knowing if my baby is safe.”
Authorities continue to search for Andrea and ask residents in Philadelphia and surrounding areas to check home surveillance or dashcam footage from the afternoon of Sept. 26.
Anyone with information can also submit anonymous tips to Philly Police’s tip line or visit phillypolice.com for updates.
