UPDATE: Following Search, 2 Missing Teens Found in Woods

Two female hikers who had gone missing in the woods off South Glen Road in Kinnelon were brought to safety shortly after midnight, police said.

Police said they received a call from Morgan Masterson, 18, Tuesday night at about 8:55 p.m. Masterson said she and a 17-year-old female friend had been hiking near Butter Nut Terrace, in Smoke Rise, when they became lost and darkness had fallen. Masterson told police she and the 17-year-old began hiking at about 6:30 p.m.

The Morris County Search and Rescue Unit and Morris County Park Police arrived at the scene with the direction of Sgt. David Crouthammel, who set up a command center on South Glen Road, entering the woods near 234 South Glen Road and later locating the females at around 10 p.m. About two hours later, the hikers were safely brought out of the woods.

Police said they were able to locate the teenagers using GPS coordinates from their cell phone and guide them with the safest route while the officers stayed with the hikers after they were located in a swamp area. Police also used an ATV to help locate the hikers in the woods.

The hikers both declined medical attention and were released to their parents at the scene.

Search-and-rescue teams assisted in the effort, using maps to help plan an exit route from the woods, while , ., the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Boonton Township Police, West Milford Police and the Kinnelon Citizens Emergency Response Team all responded to the scene. Crouthammel said the response units assisted with lighting the area and helping to locate the teens.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated that both females were 18 years old.