Police use drones to find missing person in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey
Robbinsville Township police in New Jersey launched a drone Tuesday in search of a man with special needs who they say went missing after leaving a group home.
They say in an emergency like that, when every second counts, drones are a critical set of eyes in the sky.
Around 10:30 p.m., officers were unable to find the man in the area of Robbinsville-Edinburgh Road.
"The drones that we have in our hands and the resources — they work with our canines, our officers and they supplement them, and it puts them in the right direction," Kivet said.
Police say the 32-year-old made it about a mile from the group home to a tree farm on Pond Road. It was dark, rainy and cold, and police say the man was wearing pajamas and had no shoes on.
The drone, which was equipped with thermal imaging, was able to quickly spot the man. His body was highlighted in white, and officers were pointed in the right direction and found him uninjured in the woods on the property of the Ostrich Tree Farm.
"Robbinsville Police Department was able to deploy their resources much more effectively, much more direct once they located the subject using drones and in a much quicker manner," Detective Anthony Sturchio said.
Sturchio is in charge of the Drone Strike Unit, which has about 30 drones owned by multiple police and fire departments in Mercer County. The program launched in 2018, and it has grown over the years with better technology.
"The service that the drones are used for provides intelligence and information to law enforcement that would require 10 times the amount of manpower," Sturchio said.
Robbinsville Township police say the drones have recently helped officers during water rescues and searches for suspects and missing people.
Police say Tuesday night's rescue is another example of how the technology is proving to be an invaluable resource for the community.