14-year-old Maxim from Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, who had been sought by police in several European countries for almost a month, was found overnight from Friday to Saturday (9/10 May 2026) near Białystok. The teenager was sleeping at a bus stop, under a blanket, and is safe and well.
Officers from the Białystok City Police Headquarters received a report about a „person lying down” at a bus stop on the outskirts of the city (in the area of Sobolew). On arrival, they found a boy sleeping under a blanket. After checking his details, it turned out that he was Maxim, who had been wanted since 18 April.
The teenager was temporarily placed in a care facility in Białystok. Information about his discovery was immediately passed on to the Dutch side. The boy’s parents are already on their way to Poland.
How did the disappearance happen?
At around noon on 18 April 2026, Maxim left his home in the Zuidbroek district of Apeldoorn (central Netherlands) on his bicycle and did not return. Dutch police launched an international search – the boy was believed to be heading through Germany towards Poland, and possibly further east. The case captured attention across Europe, and the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration issued an appeal for help.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński wrote today:
„A case that captured the attention of all of Europe has a happy ending. The missing 14-year-old Maxim, who left home almost a month ago and set off on his bicycle from the Netherlands, has been found in Poland by the Polish police.”
The Podlaska Police confirmed that the boy is safe and does not require hospitalisation.
This is one of those rare cases where a search lasting several weeks ends well. Maxim covered hundreds of kilometres by bicycle across half of Europe – now he is waiting to be reunited with his parents.
