Lost 84-year-old found in woods

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Police last week found an 84-year-old West Park Manor resident lost in the woods after he had been reported missing by his wife.

Ocean Township police received a report at 3:20 p.m. Feb. 24 from a woman who said that her husband had gone for a walk to the Rite-Aid pharmacy on Route 35 andWest ParkAvenue at 12:30 p.m. and almost three hours later had not returned to hisWest ParkAvenue home, according to police reports.

Police searched the area around Rite- Aid and learned that the man had been at the store at approximately 1:15 p.m. and was later seen near aMcDonald's located in the same shopping center at approximately 2:30 p.m., according to reports.

The township Police Department issued a Code Red message to residents and businesses in the area, which sends a recorded message to listed telephone numbers within a designated area to alert or notify community members of an emergency or incident.

The Ocean Township Police Department received assistance from K-9 units from the Monmouth County Sheriff 's Office and the Holmdel Police Department, according to reports that state that additional assistance was received from a New Jersey State Police helicopter unit and the Oakhurst Fire Department, which responded with manpower and lighting equipment.

After a search was conducted for nearly seven hours, police located the man at approximately 10:47 p.m. in a wooded area between the West Park Manor Complex and the Cotswold Condo Complex, according to reports.

When the man was found, he was cold and disoriented and had minor abrasions from thorn bushes, according to reports. He was transported to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch for treatment, according to reports.