An Open Letter to those in New Jersey Complaining About Monday’s Amber Alert

Dear everyone who complains about Amber Alerts being "annoying,"

Shut up.

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Seriously. I would personally like to smack every self-important person who had the nerve to complain about "so many Amber Alert notifications blowing up my phone" on Monday.

You must've been terrified when the notifications interrupted your Insta scroll.

Do you know what else is terrifying? Learning your precious child is missing.

An Amber Alert was issued at 9:55 a.m. on Monday, October 30 for a three-year-old boy who went missing after the car he was in had been carjacked.

The child was found safe in the abandoned car As of this writing the suspect is still at large.

There were many Amber Alerts that were delivered to our devices. Yes, they were loud, and yes, they made a lot of folks jump.

This is a good thing. It means the system is working. It kept us up-to-date in real time.

On Monday there was a disturbing theme on social, and this wasn't the first time.

Some felt because the child that went missing was from Newark, and not in their backyard, that this Amber Alert isn't as important.

Sad.

Abductors don't hunker down, they move.

Many times we don't know in which direction. Newark is an hour and a half from where I live. I'd be more than happy to be "inconvenienced" and miss a text (the horror) for the safety and welfare of a child.

By the way, these complainers are the same people turning Amber Alert notifications off, and helping others do the same on their phones. Shame on you.

It's your phone. You have every right to turn Amber Alert notifications off so they don't interrupt you from watching TikTok or wake your beauty sleep.

Before you opt out though, remember that Amber Alerts save lives. They are not designed to occur when it's convenient for us. I hope nothing like this ever happens to your child or one that you love.

So if you get a little jumpy, or an Amber Alert wakes you, suck it up. And while you're at it, hug your child, niece, nephew, or any young person in your life.

Pray that you never have to utilize the Amber Alert system.

Sincerely,

Matt Ryan