Teenagers have been sneaking out of their parents’ home to embark on unauthorized adventures forever. But for Nicholas Montero of Langhorne, an under-cover trip to Philadelphia had a compelling reason. Nina Feldman reported his covert action for WHYY.

Montero’s clandestine adventure was, in his estimation, a matter of taking control of his own health. He traveled to the city for a COVID-19 vaccine that his parents blocked him from getting.

The household antivax sentiment has been fueled, Montero believes, by social media. “It’s like one thing they see on Facebook, and then they completely believe it,” he said.

To sidestep the home-front controversy, Montero spent last summer with a vaccinated aunt and grandmother in Philadelphia.

There, while researching the possibility of getting vaccinated without parental approval, he found hope: The city allows it for anyone over the age of 11.

In secret — with the support of his extended family — he received two doses.

Word eventually reached his parents, however, and now things are understandably tense at home.

Montero therefore spends as much time as possible at school, delving into numerous extracurricular activities.

“Now, there’s a divide,” said his aunt. “It’s sad because at the end of the day, family should be family.”

More on Nicholas Montero and the control he took of his own well-being is at WHYY.