Lacey Police Locate Missing Senior In Marsh Area

LACEY, NJ — Lacey police located a missing man who suffers from Parkinson’s disease and dementia in a wooded marsh area on Saturday afternoon, police said.

The Lacey Township Police Department received a missing person report on Saturday just after 10 a.m., said Chief Michael C. DiBella in a statement.

The missing person, identified as a 73-year-old man, walked away from his home in the Bayberry Section of Lanoka Harbor on Thursday around noon and had not returned home. Police were told that the missing man had Parkinson’s disease and dementia, DiBella said.

Lacey police began checking common areas that the missing man frequently visits, but they were unable to locate him. The investigation at the scene led to a search effort in the wooded marsh area near his home on the Edward B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge property, DiBella said.

Lacey police coordinated with both the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and the Lanoka Harbor Fire Company to conduct a systematic search of the wooded area with off-road patrol units.

Members of the off-road units located the missing man around 2:45 p.m. about one-half mile into the wooded marsh area. He was lying on his back in several inches of water and was unable to move, according to DiBella. Authorities found he was conscious, though unable to speak.

He was extricated from the marsh area and taken out of the woods by members of Lanoka Harbor EMS, utilizing their off-road EMS utility vehicle, DiBella said.

The man was taken to an ambulance where RWJ Barnabas paramedics were waiting. Medical care was provided and he was taken to Community Medical Center by Lanoka Harbor EMS.

“The Lacey Township Police Department would like to thank the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, the Lanoka Harbor Fire Company, the Lanoka Harbor EMS and members of the Ocean County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), for their assistance in this search effort, ultimately leading to the safe return of the missing male. A sincere thank you to all of you for your coordinated teamwork,” DiBella said.

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