If this story doesn’t show that dogs are man’s best friend, nothing will! Without the help of one trusty canine, one man might have never made it back home. With the kind of persistence that only a loving dog has, a life was saved.
About a month ago, something amazing happened.
On Friday, November 27th, the Manchester Police Department got a phone call from Heidi Sarno. Heidi was calling to report that her 78-year-old father, Fred Rapp, was missing. He was last seen at the Lacey Township at 4:30 pm. It was just past 8 pm now and was already dark outside.
Heidi gave the officers her father’s information.
Fred had been carrying his cell phone and had taken off in a car by himself. To complicate matters, Fredd had a cognitive condition and probably didn’t know where he was or how to get back. With a missing man who needed help stuck outside, the police department got to work.
Using GPS, they tracked Fred all around the area.
From the GPS, they could see that Fred wasn’t staying in one location.
During the investigation, on-going cell phone GPS information was utilized to track Mr. Rapp’s location which continued to change. The areas that were identified were the wooded areas along State Highway 37, spanning the Toms River and Berkeley Township areas. More specifically, these areas were the ASARCO and Crossley Preserve land sites.
Fred was lost in the woods and it was getting cold.
As the evening wore on, night turned to morning.
During the entire search, the officers called Fred’s cell phone, hoping he would pick up. After hours of calling, he finally answered at 5:45 am. When Fred answered, the police department was a bit confused at what he said!
Fred claimed that he crashed his car and had gotten lost but found someone who was helping him.
When the officers heard that Fred was with someone, things didn’t seem to make sense. Finally, Fred handed the phone to his friend and it all became clear. It was an off-duty officer named Sgt. Brooks!
Sgt. Brooks had gone out for an early hunting trip when he noticed a dog all by itself.
Dogs just didn’t wander in the deep woods by themselves. Knowing that, Sgt. Brooks assumed the dog had wandered away from its owner and decided to help the dog find them. Using the paw prints, Sgt. Brooks stumbled across a man, Fred Rapp!
Fred had taken along his dog, Petie, with him!
When Fred got lost, Petie had gone off and found help for his owner! The incredible search and rescue finally came to a close with an ending that many people would call incredibly lucky. Fred had Petie and Sgt. Brooks to thank for an amazing rescue.
After he was rescued, Fred was taken to get the medical treatment he needed.
Without the dedication of Petie the dog and the coincidence of Sgt. Brooks taking an early hunting trip, who knows how things would have turned out. The police department said it perfect in their final statement:
“This situation highlights the fact that a police officer is a police officer 24/7. We are truly fortunate that Sgt. Brooks was in the right place at the right time because without his help there is no telling how this story would have ended”, said Manchester Police Chief Lisa Parker.
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