A missing man who was reunited with his family after he was photographed while pressed against a steam vent to keep warm in downtown Washington is on his way back home to upstate New York.
20-year-old Nicholas Simmons was discharged from a hospital Sunday night and spent the night in a Washington hotel with his father and older brother, according to family friend Peter Gugino. Gugino says the three men are now heading home by car to Greece, N.Y.
An Associated Press photographer Jacquelyn Martin, looking for a way to illustrate unusually cold weather Saturday morning, snapped Simmons' picture as he warmed himself on a steam grate in an area a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol where homeless people often gather when it's frigid outside.
After the photo was published, it was brought to the attention of Simmons' parents, who had reported their son missing on New Year's Day. Simmons had left behind his wallet, cellphone and everything else.
Capt. Patrick Phelan of the Greece, N.Y., police department says authorities picked up Simmons on Sunday afternoon and took him to a hospital.
