Cops: Nixle, Local Resident Help Find Missing South Brunswick Teen

South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka is crediting an alert township resident and the Nixle emergency notification system with locating a missing teenager Saturday.

At 5 a.m. officers responded to the Princeton Hampton Inn on Route 1 after a mother reported her teenage daughter was missing. The mother said she woke up and discovered her daughter not in their room.

Police conducted an exhaustive search of the 110 room hotel and surrounding area. New Jersey State Police K9 units and bloodhounds associated with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office responded and searched the area.

Police sent out an emergency alert using the Nixle system at 7:30 a.m. advising of the missing New York City teenager. Police were searching for the teenager when they received a 911 call from Ms. Maria Certo at 2:30pm saying she had spotted the teenager near the Kingston Firehouse.

Ms. Certo said, “I saw the Nixle earlier in the day and was driving back from Shoprite when I saw the girl. I didn’t think it could be her, but I turned around and rolled down my window. I asked her if she was Danielle and she said yes. She sat in my vehicle until the police arrived. I was so happy to get her back to her family”. Detectives believe the teenager went for a walk and became lost.

Chief Hayducka praised the actions of Ms. Certo. “She exemplifies what makes our community so outstanding. She not only recognized the missing teenager but she was able to call out to the girl and offer help when the teenager needed it most.” He also recognized the emergency notification system Nixle that the police department uses.

“This program has grown each week to the point where nearly 16,000 people are receiving the alerts. The notifications have worked twice in just over a week to help locate missing people. Our community is engaged and responsive as a result of the Nixle system,” Chief Hayducka said. He added, “I also want to thank all the agencies that assisted us in the search including the New Jersey State Police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office”.