Ditto on DougPaul's comments.
I think that many of us have been on that road in doing Crockers, Redington, Sugarloaf, etc. along the AT. As remote as it is, it's a favorite for local snowmobilers and hunters. The kid had the good fortune to go down the western flank of the mountain. Had he gone down the other side, it might have been a different, sad story.
We spotted a car there many years ago. When we arrived, the battery completely died right when we had finished using our giant cellular bag phone (remember those?) to call AAA. We were prepared for a long wait, and possible ~4mi hike to the highway but, to our pleasant surprise, AAA arrived before we could brew our coffee! AAA driver was only to happy to do a "rescue" down the Caribou Valley Road, since it was right before hunting season. He said that it's very popular with local sportsman year round.
So lucky kid, indeed! A teachable moment, if there ever was one!