By Jeff Goldman | NJ.com
nj.com
OCEAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Police in an Ocean County town used a drone Thursday evening to quickly find a 13-year-old boy who ran away from home, officials said.
Ocean Township police Sgt. Michael Matelski flew the drone, and with the help of Life360, officers were able to narrow down the search area and locate the teen in a dense clump of trees along a bulkhead at the edge of the frozen Oyster Creek.
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It took police just 17 minutes from the time the drone was deployed until the boy was found. The boy was reported missing just after 5 p.m. and the drone was sent up not long after.
“It was not until we determined, through his mother’s Life360 app, as well as other indicators, that he was actively evading law enforcement and the drone would be employed,” Chief Michael J. Rogalski told NJ.com.
“With the temperature dropping and daylight fading, combined with the dangerous conditions in the wooded area on the banks of the frozen creek, it was decided the drone would be most capable of locating the child,” he added.
The drone is an all-weather DJI M30T with thermal camera capability, specifically built for search and rescue and other public safety uses, the chief said.
While this is the first time Ocean Township police used the drone to find a missing child, it has been deployed to look for criminal suspects and an adult with memory issues.
Police bought the drone with money the department received from a federal grant.
Matelski is one of three Federal Aviation Administration-licensed pilots employed by the department.
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