Brian Braumberger, 18, has not been seen since Wednesday night.

"It's like he disappeared from the face of the earth," his dad, Ron Braumberger, said yesterday.

It is unlike Brian to disappear and not call, he said.

"We know he's not out partying it up on the weekend. He doesn't do that.

"We haven't heard a word. None."

Said his distraught mom, Janice, fighting back tears: "What do you do? Where do you start? Every time a car pulls up, I expect him to walk in any minute."

She described Brian as a typical teenager. "He's very happy-go-lucky, a nice, polite boy. He's a joker."

The Braumbergers discovered Brian missing when they came back from vacation last Friday.

He wasn't at their Burnaby home, and a message on the answering machine said his car had been towed.

At first, his parents weren't too worried. Brian often goes out with his friends, and his car, which breaks down occasionally, has required towing before.

But when they hadn't heard from Brian by 10 p.m., they started calling his friends.

At 1:30 a.m., they called Burnaby RCMP and reported him missing.

Brian has been out of touch with his friends since Wednesday night, which is out of character.

He was last seen by a friend at a church parking lot in New Westminster. The friend said they talked for about 10 minutes before Brian said he was heading home because he had to work early the next day.

He never showed up at his warehouse job.

His car, a red 1998 Honda CRX, was found unlocked in the parking lot of the George Derby Centre in the 7500-block Cumberland Street, a two-minute drive from his house. It is not clear if the car had broken down.

Family and friends have searched the wooded trails nearby, without success.

Brian is Caucasian, six feet tall and 185 pounds, clean-shaven with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen in a black T-shirt, shorts and white Adidas runners with no laces.

Call the police or Crime-Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if you can help.

chchan@png.canwest.com