Nixle alert used to find missing person with dementia

It can be an extremely nerve-racking situation when a loved one goes missing. When a family member wanders off, there are an overwhelming number of places they could be. Getting help from local authorities is always a good first step, but there can never be too many people searching to ensure the missing person is founded quickly and safely. This exact scenario played out recently in North Wildwood, New Jersey when a 75 year-old man with dementia wandered away from his home. The family notified the local authorities, who then sent out a Nixle alert to nearby residents. The alert included the missing person’s picture, description, and an anonymous tip line so anyone with information could inform the police right away. Thankfully, about 20 minutes after the alert was sent out, the missing person was located thanks to a tip from a local resident. The resident had recently seen the man’s car that was described in the alert and police were able to quickly find him based on the tipster’s location. By issuing a Nixle alert, the authorities were able to turn local residents into members of the search party, allowing them to find the missing person much faster than conventional methods would have allowed. For more information on this story and Nixle, click here