BARNEGAT, NJ – An elderly man who went missing earlier this week in Barnegat was found by rescuers in a heavily wooded area on Thursday. Police said 82-year-old Leslie Schaffer was conscious but unable to walk or stand when rescuers located him.
The search began with the Barnegat Police Department scouring through video surveillance footage from Cloverdale Park after he was last seen in the area of Nautilus Drive near the park.
At one point over 80 rescuers from 15 agencies searched the woods in the park using drones, horses, ATVs, K-9s and a New Jersey State Police Helicopter.
“After an exhaustive search, one of the multi-jurisdictional search teams located Mr. Shaffer in a heavily wooded area at 2:34pm on October 19th,” Barnegat Police Department Chief Keith A. Germain said Thursday. “Mr. Shaffer was conscious, but was unable to stand or walk. He was transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center.”
“This was a difficult search in cold weather and over unforgiving terrain. Despite that, dedicated personnel from all of these agencies came together as a team and worked against the clock to ensure a good outcome, ” said Germain. “The expertise of NJ OEM and the State Police in bringing significant experience and resources to bear no doubt played a major role in our ability to find Mr. Shaffer in time.”