Middletown Man Missing; May Be Near Natco Lake

Middletown, NJ - A 22-year-old Middletown man is missing, according to township police. A massive manhunt took place Sunday in the area around Natco Lake to try and find John Fernandez, 22, but there was no sign of him, police said.

Fernandez was last seen at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 13 at his home on Kentucky Avenue in Middletown. He may be in the Natco Lake/Hazlet area or along Henry Hudson Trail, police said.

Middletown and Hazlet police combed the area around Natco Lake Sunday looking for him, Hazlet police said. Divers were called in from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Underwater Search team to search the waters of Natco Lake. Police K9 dogs were used; Hazlet’s ATV units and the sheriff’s department helicopter combed the wooded area, but no sign of Fernandez was found.

Fernandez is described as a Filipino male, 5’10 with a thin build, and black hair. He may be wearing a dark grey leather jacket with a gray fabric hood and black high top “Heely” sneakers with wheels similar to a roller skate. According to his Facebook page, he studies accounting a Seton Hall University.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Kelly Godley of the Middletown Police Department at (732) 615-2120. Photo used with permission from Middletown Police.