Missing Pleasanton Hiker: Volunteers Sought As Search Continues

PLEASANTON, CA — The search continued Monday for a hiker reported missing after leaving for a brief run in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.

Thirteen public safety agencies and 20 groups of volunteers searched for Philip Kreycik, 37, of Berkeley in the area of Palomares Road Monday morning, police said. He was reported missing Saturday afternoon, a few hours after he told his wife he was headed out for an hourlong run and parked his car near the Moller Ranch staging area of the park, which is part of the East Bay Regional Park District.

Kreycik was last seen 10:45 a.m. Saturday.

“As we continue the third day of our search and rescue efforts, we are still optimistic about locating Mr. Kreycik,” said Pleasanton Police Lt. Erik Silacci in a statement, “Our thoughts are with the Kreycik family and we are thankful for the ongoing support from local agencies and residents.”

An excessive heat warning covered Pleasanton over the weekend. Police on Sunday said officers and personnel from East Bay Regional Park police, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol used drones, fixed-wing aircraft, off-road vehicles and search and rescue teams to look for Kreycik, a strategic analyst of clean energy transportation at the Pacific Gas & Electric Co., according to his LinkedIn profile.

Kreycik is father of two young children, said Tom Wooten, an organizer of the volunteer search and former Harvard University classmate of the missing hiker.

"Everybody's hoping he gets home safe," he said.

Much of the volunteer search has focused on a hiking loop that Kreycik saved on his phone, which was found in the car, Wooten said. Wooten believes Kreycik had visited Pleasanton Ridge before but did not frequent the area.

Kreycik is a fit and friendly hiker and runner — a legendary outdoorsman who's well-known in the Bay Area and Harvard community for his "huge, jaw-dropping adventures," Wooten said. Despite that he's down-to-earth and humble and may come off as shy, he added.

Kreycik's love for nature is so great that he resurrected Harvard's Outing Club and "turned it into a really vibrant place" as club president, said Wooten, who took over the club shortly after Kreycik's departure.

Wooten said at least 100 volunteers gathered Monday in the Foothill High School parking lot to assist in search efforts, which are being led by Kreycik's father and friend on-site. More and more volunteers filtered in as the day wore on, combing the site and calling out to Kreycik.

Wooten said a post he wrote on a Facebook group to share information and coordinate volunteer efforts in the search for Kreycik has been shared more than 1,000 times and contained hundreds of comments, many of which are from people coordinating rides to the hiking site and sharing information about Kreycik.

Anyone who wished to volunteer in the search or to drop off supplies can get more details here.

Pleasanton Ridge remained open to visitors.

Kreycik was described as white with a thin build and brown hair and eyes. He is an avid runner with no known health conditions and is presumed to be wearing running attire. Anybody with information about his location was asked to contact the Pleasanton Police Department at 925-931-5100.

Also on Monday, rescue crews headed to nearby Lake Del Valle in Livermore Sunday to search for a swimmer who apparently drowned. The sheriff's office dive team continued efforts to locate that person Monday.

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.

— Bay City News contributed to this report