Man Left American Dream Mall, Goes Missing In Meadowlands For 2 Days

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — A 24-year-old man went missing after he walked into the Meadowlands marsh from his job at American Dream mall last week, and he was found after a two-day search of combing the meadows, Rutherford Police Chief John Russo said on Monday.

The man first went missing Tuesday night:

He lives in Rutherford with his parents and did not return to his parents' home that night, when he was due to return home from his job at the American Dream mega-mall.

The man’s parents reported him missing the next day, Wednesday.

Surveillance footage from the mall and football stadium showed the man walking into the meadows near MetLife Stadium. Local police, joined by NJ State Police and police dogs, searched the Meadowlands all day Wednesday and Thursday for him.

He was not found until Thursday night: It was a drone from the Wyckoff Police Emergency Response Team that spotted the man at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

He was taken to a hospital for evaluation. He was in the midst of a mental health crisis, said police.

Russo said he would not be releasing the name of the store at the mall to protect the man's privacy.

"Great work by all the agencies that assisted throughout the day," said the police chief.