(HAMILTON) — Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo on Tuesday expressed relief a missing 87-year-old Princeton Township man was found Tuesday morning in Mount Laurel and said he hoped the law he sponsored creating the Silver Alert system proved helpful.
“I’m thankful this gentleman was found this morning and appreciate the efforts of the police and everyone else involved in finding him,” said DeAngelo (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “I also hope the still new Silver Alert law proved helpful in doing exactly what it was supposed to do – safely finding elderly residents who go missing so they can return home to their families.”
DeAngelo sponsored a bill making New Jersey the 11th state with a Silver Alert system to notify the public about missing elderly people.
The plan is based on the Amber Alert system used by state police to locate missing children.
“Unfortunately, it’s common for an elderly loved to go missing for any number of reasons,” DeAngelo said. “This can be dangerous and even life-threatening for our loved ones and stressful for caregivers and family. This new system is common sense step toward protecting our parents, grandparents and neighbors, and hopefully it proved helpful in his situation.”
A story detailing the search for the missing man and a video by DeAngelo discussing the Silver Alert law can be found here.