On Saturday, August 25, at approximately 9:03pm, Hopewell Township Police units responded to a Hopewell Borough address for a reported missing 11-year old juvenile. The juvenile was reported missing by family and was last seen at approximately 3:30pm that day. The whereabouts of the child were unknown, as he had not returned home.
Hopewell Township Officers began initial investigative and search efforts for the child, which were initially unsuccessful. At that time, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office CART Team (Child Abduction Response Team) was contacted and activated, which provided a heavy emergency response of personnel, apparatus, and resources that were critical for this search.
Search efforts intensified using helicopters, drones, and search dogs. Along with Officer search teams on foot and ATV. At approximately 1:15 AM the child was located off of a trail near Stonybrook Road. The child was found unharmed and in good health by Detective Mawinski (HTPD) and Det Ortman (MCPO) during their team search. The child was returned safely.
Hopewell Township Police would like to thank our partners who responded quickly to the scene and, through decisive action, assisted in locating the missing child. New Jersey State Police, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and CART Team, Lawrence Township Police, State Park Police, Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, Hopewell Valley Emergency Services, Hopewell Fire Company, Union Fire Company, Pennington Fire Company, and all other volunteer and emergency services who assisted in this crucial incident.
Submitted by the Hopewell Township Police Department.
