Lovely Mells, 15, was last seen shortly after midnight on Thursday, December 18, 2025, standing outside the YMCA in the 600 block of Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson Boulevard in Newark, New Jersey. A case worker asked where she was going but she did not answer; she walked away carrying a large black duffel bag and vanished into the night.

Lovely is described as an African American teenager with a light-brown complexion, 5 feet 3 inches tall and about 120 pounds, with long black-and-pink braids and brown eyes. She was wearing a black coat, gray sweatpants, and black sneakers. Authorities noted she was a frequent runaway, a detail investigators cited while urging the public to help locate her. The Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, Sr. asked anyone with information to contact the Newark Police Division Crime Stopper tip line.

Where was Lovely headed that night, and who last saw her after she left the YMCA?