Hudson County Residents Got An Amber Alert Late At Night. It's Been Canceled. Here's Why.

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — An Amber Alert that woke some Hudson County residents in the wee hours of Friday has been canceled, and authorities say the matter has been resolved.

The 2-year-old Paterson boy who was the subject of the alert has been found safe, and the alert — which was sent to phones — was canceled around 6 a.m., police told media outlets.

Amber Alerts are issued rarely, and only when time is of the essence in finding a child whose life may be in "grave danger," authorities say. The alerts encourage residents to look for a person or license plate.

"AMBER Alerts are not intended for all missing child incidents, runaways, or child custody situations, and it is the responsibility of all law enforcement agencies to make certain that the AMBER Alert system is not abused," says the state of New Jersey.

Amber stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, and is also named for Amber Hagerman, 9, who was kidnapped in Arlington, Texas, in 1996 while riding her bicycle. She was later found murdered.

While some Amber alerts have been canceled, others have ended tragically. Sometimes, the cases begin after the parent of the child is found dead in a domestic violence incident, including a case in New Jersey in 2021.

Read more about Amber alerts here.