FRANKLIN, NJ — A 911 call reporting a man yelling for help near an icy Somerset County river prompted a huge search by firefighters on Friday night.
On Jan. 19 at around 4:49 p.m., a 911 call reported someone missing or a man yelling for help near the Millstone River and Delaware and Raritan Canal at Colonial Park in Franklin Township, according to Franklin Township Police.
Franklin Township Police, along with firefighters from Franklin, Hillsborough, Manville, Millstone, Somerset and the New Jersey State Police all came out to search the icy waterways.
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A boat was launched from the Manville Causeway to search south along the river banks with a blend of firefighters from the fire companies.
“A downed tree hampered initial access but was removed by the rescuers. Two missions were completed by the boat crews – traveling roughly one mile upstream (south) on the river,” said Flagtown Fire/Rescue – Hillsborough Volunteer Fire Co. #1.
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Due to extreme weather conditions, firefighters had to rotate throughout the search.
Along with boat crews, rescuers used drones and search dogs.
“The search resulted in a few areas being combed more thoroughly due to indications by the drones that could not be clearly identified. No victims were located along the paths of the ground units,” said Flagtown Fire.
A State Police Helicopter was also requested but grounded due to lingering heavy snow showers in the area, according to Millstone Valley Fire Department.
“Search teams covered a significant area including looking for abandoned vehicles and any evidence of anyone missing but turned up no results,” said Flagtown Fire.
Rescuers stopped the search after 4 hours at 10:40 p.m.
Franklin Township Police are continuing to pursue all investigative measures in light of the initial call of a person in distress.
Responding emergency responders include:
All of the fire companies are run by 100 percent of volunteers. If interested in volunteering reach out to the respective fire company through their social media pages.
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