NEW YORK — Mike Ciranni is relieved that his mother is safe at home.
Long Island man demands answers after 90-year-old Marie Ciranni, who had been in a rehab facility, was found around 11 p.m. Thursday night in a deserted parking lot of the Sunrise Mall.
“My phone rang and the woman said, ‘Is that Mike? I have your mom in my car,'” he explained. “At first I thought it was a scam and then realized it wasn’t because I heard my mom in the background.”
Ciranni was shocked and confused as her mother was placed in the care of the Massapequa Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Amityville after breaking her shoulder.
The woman who called him, Janine Morgan, stopped using an ATM when she was surprised to find the 90-year-old woman.
“I was surprised at first,” Morgan said. “She actually came up from behind her and she knocked on my window and asked me to take her to her house.”
Morgan said she had no idea where it came from, but saw she wasn’t wearing a coat and looked confused. She asked Ciranni if there was anyone she could call.
“Luckily, she was able to remember her number, so we called Michael on the phone and that’s how we were able to get her home,” Morgan said.
Ciranni said her mother was able to get past the nurses’ station and the security of the main gate. She estimates that she walked more than half a mile to the mall, probably crossing the busy Sunrise Freeway. She also claims the rehab center didn’t know her mother was missing until they called.
“My wife called Massapequa Rehabilitation, they didn’t even know he was gone,” Ciranni said.
Our sister network NBC New York made several attempts to reach the rehab center for comment, but our calls or emails were never returned.
The Ciranni family refuses to return it. For now, Marie will be staying at home and they will need 24-hour assistance.
“I don’t want anyone to go through this,” Ciranni said. “Receiving a phone call in the middle of the night that your mother just ran across the street when she should have been locked up. I hope they will be investigated, really yes, she is very scary ”.
Police confirmed the family had lodged a police complaint and said the facility had indicated it would launch an internal investigation.
