Ocean Township police use drone to find missing child

Police in Ocean Township, New Jersey, used a drone to find a missing child.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, Ocean Township police responded to a report of a runaway juvenile. At the time, temperatures were rapidly dropping in the area, police said. The officers then used their newly acquired unmanned aerial vehicle – commonly known as a drone — to narrow the search area. The drone along with technology from the GPS tracking company Life360 helped the officers find the child in a densely wooded area along Oyster Creek.

“Given the frigid conditions and heavy wooded terrain, the integration of technology played a critical role in preventing what could have escalated into a serious or potentially life-threatening situation,” an Ocean Township Police spokesperson wrote.

Ocean Township Police said they acquired the drone through emergency management grant funding as part of their commitment to enhance public safety and their emergency response.

Ocean Township Police currently have three Federal Aviation Administration-licensed pilots.