The father of the teenage boy that hitched a ride in a Boeing 767 by hiding in its wheel well described his son as "a good kid" who struggled to adjust to American culture.

On April 20, the 15-year-old boy jumped over an airport fence in San Jose, California, around 1 a.m. and then hid in the wheel well of Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45 for hours until it took off at 7:55 a.m., CNN reported. He told authorities that he lost consciousness when the plane took off and flew from California to Hawaii.

The father, Abdulahi Yusuf, identified his son as Yahya Yusuf and released a statement through the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) chapter in San Francisco, saying that he and his family immigrated to America to escape war in Somalia.

"Our family was deeply concerned when my son went missing, and we were relieved to hear of his safety considering the circumstances of his trip," Yusuf said in the statement, according to CNN.

"My son, like many immigrant children, is struggling adjusting to life in this country. Our situation was aggravated by our displacement in Africa for many years after fleeing our home country of Somalia because of war conditions. As a result, my son was not able to receive any formal education before we immigrated to the United States. Yahya is a good kid who I love dearly."

He added that he plans to take his son from Hawaii back to their home in California.

A spokewoman from the state Department of Human Services said the agency's child welfare unit won't disclose any information about the release of the teen because of concerns about privacy and confidentiality.

"DHS, they're not looking to take kids away from families," said Jaque Kelley-Uyeoka, deputy CEO of Hale Kipa, a nonprofit that works with at-risk youth in Hawaii, Yahoo! News reported. "If DHS rules there is no abuse or neglect, then they are not going to allow for an extended out-of-home stay, by any means. The possibility is DHS steps out of the picture, and we work to unify the family."

According to FBI spokesman Tom Simon, the teen managed to survive sub-zero temperatures that may have dropped to minus-80 degrees in addition to oxygen-deprived air while the jet soared at 38,000 feet.

Security video footage shows that the teen was able get around security at San Jose Mineta International Airport and climb into the wheel well without being noticed. He then came out of the wheel well about an hour after it landed at the Kahului Airport on the island of Maui.