Crime & Safety

Madison Man Found Safe After Search of Reservation

Agencies searched Loantaka Brook Reservation over the weekend for missing 72-year-old man.

A report of a missing 72-year-old Madison man triggered a search of over the weekend that involved several police agencies, including officers on ATVs and search dogs, authorities said Tuesday.

The man ultimately was found safe when he was spotted walking along Parsippany Road in Hanover about 13 hours after his wife had last seen him, and about six hours after the search of the reservation began, Morris County Park Police said.

The man's wife reported him missing to on Saturday when he didn't come home, and officers discovered his car parked near an entrance to the reservation off Loantaka Way in Madison, Morris County Park Police Sgt. Michael Thomson said.

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Madison Police notified Morris County Park Police around 4 p.m. and several agencies began the search of the reservation, including the Morris County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Missing Person Unit, and police from , Harding and Madison, Thomson said.

Hanover police reported the man was found around 9:45 p.m., about 5 miles from his parked car.

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Thomson said officers did a thorough search of the reservation, which encompasses more than 570 acres and includes 5 miles of trails in Chatham Township, Harding and Morris Township.

The man was checked, appeared fine and was brought back home, Thomson said. Police were not sure why he was so far from his car or how he got there.


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