News 12 Exclusive: Decades later, man uses Facebook to reunite with first love

<p>A Yorktown veteran got to reunite with his first love after decades of being apart.</p>

News 12 Staff

Apr 25, 2018, 9:21 PM

Updated 2,193 days ago

Share:

A Yorktown veteran got to reunite with his first love after decades of being apart.
John Bartalotta recently went on Facebook to look for Christine Delise. The two had dated for more than a year when they lived on Morris Park Avenue in the Bronx in the mid-1960s.
He was drafted and sent to Vietnam in February 1966, and when he got back in 1968, Delise was gone.
Delise had moved to Florida and got married. Bartalotta later got married, moved to Westchester and started a family.
He recently connected with her on Facebook. The messages turned into long phone calls, which turned into Facetime video chats.
After two failed marriages, three kids and 52 years later, Delise flew back from Florida and met Bartalotta at Westchester County Airport.
Now that the two have reunited, they are seeking the child that they gave up for adoption. She was born in January 1966, three weeks before her 19-year-old father left for the Marines.
News 12’s Tara Rosenblum contacted a private investigator, who agreed to take on their case to try and find their daughter. New York has some of the strictest adoption privacy laws in the county, and it’s notoriously difficult to find an adopted daughter.


More from News 12
Mother and daughter from Mount Vernon sentenced in pandemic-relief fraud scheme

Mother and daughter from Mount Vernon sentenced in pandemic-relief fraud scheme

2:10
Sun and clouds before spotty evening showers for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

Sun and clouds before spotty evening showers for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

1:53
Officials call for no-show Orange County legislator to step down after missing meetings for two years

Officials call for no-show Orange County legislator to step down after missing meetings for two years

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

0:34
Yonkers police: Man wanted for failing to appear in court for car break-in charges

Yonkers police: Man wanted for failing to appear in court for car break-in charges

1:57
White Plains dispensary pays it forward, spends green on legal help

White Plains dispensary pays it forward, spends green on legal help

0:49
Gov. Hochul signs $10 million literacy plan into law

Gov. Hochul signs $10 million literacy plan into law

0:28
Yonkers hip-hop legend Mary J. Blige, Pepsi team up to help women in the city

Yonkers hip-hop legend Mary J. Blige, Pepsi team up to help women in the city

0:32
Kingston man charged in barbershop stabbing

Kingston man charged in barbershop stabbing

2:13
MTA outlines new details on congestion pricing, including start date

MTA outlines new details on congestion pricing, including start date

2:04
Movie theater experience: A close look at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville

Movie theater experience: A close look at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville

1:35
 White Plains community memorializes impactful couple as part of 41st Arbor Day celebration

White Plains community memorializes impactful couple as part of 41st Arbor Day celebration

0:21
Funeral held for Westchester correction officer killed in Scarsdale motorcycle crash

Funeral held for Westchester correction officer killed in Scarsdale motorcycle crash

0:31
Police: 18-year-old Washingtonville man with autism has gone missing

Police: 18-year-old Washingtonville man with autism has gone missing

0:23
New Korean-style fried chicken restaurant opens in Mahopac

New Korean-style fried chicken restaurant opens in Mahopac

2:16
New Rochelle teacher receives birthday surprise from students, colleagues

New Rochelle teacher receives birthday surprise from students, colleagues

1:23
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in Irvington during President Biden's visits to Westchester

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in Irvington during President Biden's visits to Westchester

0:26
Hudson Valley communities receive bronze Climate Smart Certification

Hudson Valley communities receive bronze Climate Smart Certification

0:23
Rockland County sues New York state over when elections can be held

Rockland County sues New York state over when elections can be held

0:21
Greenwood Lake Board of Trustees appoints interim mayor

Greenwood Lake Board of Trustees appoints interim mayor