John Croom says his son is a big fan of the movie “Into the Wild.”
“Apparently once a month he’s been watching this video of “Into the Wild. It’s a movie about a guy who drops everything and takes off. He’s apparently been fascinated with this,” says Croom.
18-year-old Johnathan Croom’s car was found in Riddle, Oregon last week.
His father says “his identification, his money, everything he had with him was still in the car.”
John says he left Phoenix, Arizona to go for an adventure.
“I text him everyday, please call I’m looking for you please call. Nobody knows where he is at, he’s just completely missing,” says Croom.
This isn’t the first time that “Into the Wild” has inspired someone, who’s turned up missing.
An Oklahoma teen that is believed to have ventured out in the Steens Mountain area is still missing.
19-year-old Dustin Self’s parents say in March after watching the movie he wanted to see if he could live in the wild.
“Be very familiar with the areas you want to go to and what you plan on doing,” says outdoor enthusiast Michael Reinert.
Outdoor enthusiasts say these outdoor survival adventures take extreme preparation and knowledge.
Reinert says, “the food and the water are big if you can’t figure that part out or don’t necessarily know that would be a huge challenge.”
An adventure that tests you mentally, emotionally, and physically.
“It would not be something i would recommend doing without any preparation or knowledge, it would be very difficult to be successful at that,” says Reinert.
Just basic knowledge and desire are not enough.
Both of the vehicles that the teens were driving have been found.
A pickup truck registered to Self was found by ranchers in mid-April in Southern Harney County.
Croom’s SUV was found abandoned near i-5 in Riddle.
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