Barnegat Police: Missing Teen Found Safe

By
Jennifer Peacock
-
Michael Briganti.

BARNEGAT – The teen who went missing yesterday afternoon has been located safely, according to Ocean County Scanner News.

Here’s the post: Michael was finally found! Thank you to EVERYONE who helped out today, and the numerous agencies that responded to search the woods and town. Thanks to a 911 call from a vigilant citizen who recognized him from the picture in his soccer uniform. He was located in the woods, and Barnegat PD & OCSD have the juvenile male in custody.

From Police Chief Keith Germain:
The Barnegat Police Department is thrilled to report that the missing endangered juvenile has been located.

At 5:47pm, members of the Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) were conducting a neighborhood canvassing operation in the area of Village Drive when they developed information that Briganti might have been seen in a wooded area nearby.

CRU members entered the wooded area and were able to identify Briganti who initially ran from them. CRU officers were able to recover Briganti, who was unharmed.

The Barnegat Police Department has a laundry list of agencies to thank for their timely and generous dedication of resources to the search effort. The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Stafford Township Police Department, Barnegat Volunteer Fire Company, New Jersey state forest fire service, Tuckerton Fire Department, Waretown Fire Company and Ocean County Park Rangers all assisted with personnel, equipment, or both.

Most helpful were the members of the community who made the missing persons post go viral, sharing it nearly 8,000 times and helping it to reach nearly 160,000 people on Facebook.

The outpouring of support and offering of personal resources by the community was unprecedented and greatly appreciated.

 

Original story:

BARNEGAT – The search is on for a missing teen in Barnegat Township. However, while many news outlets are running the 14 year old’s photograph, we are waiting on official police confirmation to do so.

The boy’s mother, Brooke Briganti, confirmed on a local social media page that her son Michael is missing.

Barnegat Township Police Department confirmed on their Facebook page moments ago that Michael was last seen at 5 p.m. Oct. 4, when he reportedly “ran away from his home into the woods,” Chief Keith Germain said.

Michael is a white male, 5’6″ tall weighing 127 pounds. He has blond hair and blue eyes.

He was last seen wearing a white Brackman School sports jersey with the No. 25, white soccer shorts, white socks, and black Nike sneakers.

“Barnegat Police are engaged in a continuous search for the juvenile along with our partners from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department. Police have and will be using numerous assets in the area including both manned and unmanned aircraft,” Germain said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Barnegat Police at 609-698-5000.

A Nixle Alert was issued on Thursday night that increased police activity in the area of Tedesco Way was due to a missing juvenile. It was resent out on Friday morning around 9:30 a.m.

Ocean County Scanner News broke the story.

Check back here for updates.

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