A B757-200 TAKES OFF FROM EWR AND RECEIVES AN EICAS MESSAGE THAT L WING SLIDE DOOR HAS COME OPEN. LATER; AT 15000 FT; THE ACFT SHUDDERS FOR 1-2 SECONDS; THEREAFTER EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL.

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APPROX 2500 FT MSL CLBING OUT OF LGA; L WING SLIDE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON EICAS. NO OTHER ABNORMALITIES NOTICED. WHEN LEVELING AT 15000 FT MSL ACFT SHUDDERED. NO CHKLIST PROCS APPLY TO THIS SIT AND WE WERE DISCUSSING THE SIT WITH OUR MAINT COORDINATOR. PNF WENT TO THE AFT CABIN AND VISUALLY CHKED THE OVERWING EXIT AREA AND ASKED PAX ABOUT THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE. EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL AND PAX COULD NOT PINPOINT WHERE THE NOISE CAME FROM. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO CONTINUE ON TO DEST. AT DEST WE FOUND THE L WING SLIDE WAS MISSING FROM ACFT. THIS ACFT HAD ONLY 1 PREVIOUS FLT SINCE THE MAIN LNDG GEAR HAD BEEN CHANGED AND THE SLIDE HAD BEEN SVCED. LATER ON WE LEARNED THAT THE SLIDE HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE ACFT OVER CLIFTON; NJ. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS THE FO ACTING AS PF. THE FLC NOTICED AN EICAS MESSAGE AT 2500 FT ALT THAT STATED L WING SLIDE DOOR UNLATCHED. AT 15000 FT THERE WAS A SHUDDERING OF THE ACFT THAT LASTED 1-2 SECONDS. THIS IS WHEN THE SLIDE LEFT THE FUSELAGE; THE FLC FEELS. ALL THE PAX ON BOARD THE ACFT FELT THE SHUDDERING. THE SLIDE FELL INTO THE BACK YARD OF AN FAA INSPECTOR IN CLIFTON; NJ. THERE WERE NO INJURIES ON THE GND OR ON BOARD THE ACFT. SLIDE RECOVERY WAS QUICK SINCE THE FAA INSPECTOR COULD IDENT THE SLIDE AND NOTIFY PROPER AUTHS. THE LNDG GEAR STRUTS HAD BEEN REPLACED 2 FLTS EARLIER. IT REQUIRES THE SLIDE DOOR TO BE OPENED DURING THIS MAINT. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE SLIDE LOSS. WHEN THE SLIDE WAS REMOUNTED AFTER THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW LNDG GEAR IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN LATCHED SECURELY. THE ACFT WAS FERRIED TO A MAINT BASE FOR SLIDE REPLACEMENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 403845: THERE ARE NO POM CHKLISTS FOR THIS SIT. WE TALKED TO OUR MAINT COORDINATOR; AND THE PNF WENT BACK TO THE OVERWING EXIT AREA AND ASKED PAX ABOUT THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE. EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL AND THE PAX COULD NOT PINPOINT THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE. WE CONFERRED WITH MAINT AND THE DECISION WAS MADE TO CONTINUE TO DEST. AT DEST WE DISCOVERED THE L WING SLIDE WAS MISSING FROM THE ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS RPTR; WHO WAS THE PNF; STATED THAT THE SLIDE WAS BUFFETING ON THE SIDE OF THE ACFT RESULTING IN SCRATCHES ALONG THE FUSELAGE SIDE. THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE ACFT.