In the article it days he was at the right gate. Just the wrong plane.
I got on the wrong plane one time and only discovered my error when somebody else claimed “my” seat. If no one had been assigned that seat I would have flown to the wrong destination. Ooops.
Planes change gates all the time, you have to watch the board. Im guessing the kid is retarded and a parent should have loaded him on the right plane. It’s not hard for normal teenagers to travel by air.
Same gate but two hours’ time difference between the departures. Not too difficult to get it straight.