Overview

• On June 22, the 19-year-old’s parents alerted the Somerset Police Department after he failed to return from a cellphone-less walk near a known swampy area
• Local residents overheard his calls for help and notified authorities, allowing search teams to zero in on the dense wetland
• Officers deployed a drone equipped with a speaker module to instruct the missing man to continue calling out and to pinpoint his location
• Police waded through waist-deep water and thick reeds before using the drone’s infrared imaging to chart a safe path out with the man and his two cats
• The rescued teen was treated for dehydration, confusion and minor cuts and is now recovering at home