Homeless Man Daniel Morales Finds Daughter Through Twitter

NEW YORK — A New York City homeless man has been reunited with his daughter after 11 years – thanks to Twitter.

Daniel Morales was given a prepaid cell phone to create a Twitter account as part of a project on homeless people called Underheard in New York.

Three weeks into the project, the 58-year-old decided to use the social networking tool to find his 27-year-old daughter, Sarah Rivera.

The New York Daily News says on Wednesday he posted his cell phone number, her name and a photo of her at age 16. She called him the next day.

On Friday, their reunion was recorded on WCBS-TV.

Morales said he was overjoyed. Rivera said social networking was amazing.

Morales lives at a homeless shelter. His daughter lives in Brooklyn.

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Online:

http://underheardinnewyork.com/

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Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com

Comments

[endearingnoises]

08:21 PM on 02/27/2011

What's up with that picture lol?

[MotorcycleBoy]

08:11 PM on 02/28/2011

based on the picture, I just assumed that he had found his daughter laying on the ground in front of him.

[endearingnoises]

03:31 AM on 03/01/2011

haha, exactly

[KarateKid]

09:25 AM on 02/27/2011

When I was in early elementary school at the American School in Japan, I had a good buddy who was the son of the ambassador to Japan from Lebanon; I first learned of his culture through visits to his home and his parents were very nice. He moved the next year and I missed him.

Every time I read something bad happening in Beirut, I thought of him, so over 55 years later, I entered his name on Facebook just to see if it would come up, and there was a match. So I emailed him not knowing if it was him, and three weeks later, he confirmed that he was indeed my long lost friend, and had survived it all and lives in Beirut.

So, these things can be interesting, but it's too bad it's so polluted with nonsense and all the people with fake personas and IDs, not to mention how these sites invade your privacy and "play" with your information. I guess you have to take the sugar with the _shit.

[mariadawson0228]

06:05 PM on 02/26/2011

A very heart-warming story, indeed...good to know that the homeless, too, have access to expensive electronic devices which allows communication on social net works such as Twitter...only in America!

[Gerald Ward]

06:19 PM on 02/26/2011

Sorry but not only in America. Read a newspaper sometime, there is a rest of the world and they have the internet too.

[mariadawson0228]

07:48 PM on 02/26/2011

Wow, Ward. So sorry that you misread. Ya mean there's a satellite that reaches you, too, in the deep dark rustic cabin where you reside?

[Morena]

11:48 PM on 02/26/2011

"given a prepaid cell phone to create a Twitter account as part of a project on homeless people called Underheard in New York."

A non-profit group hands out some cheap phones that winds up reuniting a family. Downside??

[Lordemil]

01:28 PM on 02/28/2011

more than likely recycled phones at that.

[TheSwagtrician]

01:01 PM on 02/26/2011

This just shows the significance of New-Age social media

[Richard Villasana]

04:47 AM on 02/26/2011

It's always heart-warming to hear when family members who have been separated are able to be reunited. Morales took three important steps. He let people know he was looking for his daughter. He posted her name and posted a photo of what she looked like when she was 16 years old. Social media can be a great tool to help people find family in Mexico and the U.S. However, if someone feels they need more help, especially for Mexico, they should get advice from a company that has experience so they can find family in Mexico or the U.S.

[democrats for life]

07:30 PM on 02/25/2011

this is the new face of america, the homeless person,another 10 million homeless in 2011

[HekmagaJuximaxx]

06:22 PM on 02/25/2011

DANIEL: Hello? Is this my daughter?

SARAH: It is, dad.

DANIEL: So, how have you been?

SARAH: I was doing just fine until you posted my picture on Twitter.

DANIEL: What?

SARAH: I have my own life now, dad. I was the Governor of Alaska, then I retired and now I have my own show on TV.

DANIEL: I'm so proud of you!

SARAH: Well you didn't say that when you left eleven years ago. And now I don't need you. Goodbye, daddy.

DANIEL: Sarah! Sarah don't hang up! SARAH!

[MediaDave]

06:21 PM on 02/25/2011

Right when you think nothing can go right in the world, this happens. God bless them all.

[idisVA]

06:13 PM on 02/25/2011

A beautiful ending.

[Contact1972]

05:55 PM on 02/25/2011

Good for them!

[Max Shaw]

05:25 PM on 02/25/2011

This is very touching! Im glad that social media was able to do something good rather than highlighting pointless riffs from Kanye.

[pinkibus]

04:25 PM on 02/25/2011

Hopefully this story will end happily ever after.

[Aimee Bellefleur Hogan]

01:15 AM on 02/26/2011

I hope so, too.

[KatieAnnieOakley]

12:29 PM on 02/25/2011

I love happy endings!