Drone finds missing West Windsor man alive after massive search

A drone finds the missing West Windsor man, who had been missing since the evening of Wednesday, July 22, alive after a massive search of Community Park in New Jersey and the surrounding areas, West Windsor Police said.

Drone finds missing West Windsor man alive after massive search

The drone located Cameron Ward, 25, at about 2:27 p.m. on Friday, July 24 in a remote section of Community Park. The man who had been missing since Wednesday, July 22 was found in thick foliage near the banks of Grover's Mill Pond, which is at the northernmost section of the park.

According to Community News, West Windsor Police Lt. Mark Lee said that Ward was conscious and transported to a local hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.

The drone that was used to locate the man was piloted by Officer Frank Sabatino. The officer was working closely together with a K-9 unit and was conducting a systematic search near the banks of the pond.

Ward had suffered through heavy thunderstorms and extreme heat during the 45 hours that he had been missing, said, Lt. Lee said.

After more than a day of fruitless searching, authorities had closed the park to the public on the morning of July 24 in order to conduct a “massive search” by a task force made up of Search and Rescue teams, police, fire, and emergency services workers, said Lt. Lee, according to the News outlet.

Personnel involved in the search and rescue task force included: WWPD patrol officers, detectives and superior officers; the West Windsor Division of Fire and Emergency Services Squad; Princeton Junction Volunteer Fire Company; West Windsor Volunteer Fire Company; Fire Police; Plainsboro Volunteer Fire Company; the Mercer County Sheriff's Office; Robbinsville Township Police; N.J. State Police; N.J. Search and Rescue; Mid Atlantic Search and Rescue; Community Search and Rescue; Lambertville New Hope Rescue; Ramapo Rescue Dogs; Central Jersey K-9; Mercer County Communications; and the Mercer County Emergency Services Communication Center.

Lt. Lee said that West Windsor Police Chief Garofalo thanked everyone involved in the successful outcome. “They never gave up in finding this person,” Lt. Lee said. “Without the teamwork, incredible efforts from numerous agencies, and the usage of the latest technologies (including K-9s and drones), this incident would have had a tragic ending.”

DroneXL's take

Eventhough we do not know what kind of drone was used in the search for Cameron Ward, we do know that many missing people are being found, and found faster, with the help of thermal drones. I would urge all First Responders and search and rescue teams to add thermal drones to their arsenal of tools. DJI keeps track of all the lives saved with the help of drones in this interactive map.

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