RESCUE AT STATE LINE LOOKOUT

On Tuesday, June 3rd 2014 at approximately 1215hrs the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department received a call from the Alpine Police Department reporting that a missing person may be in the area of the State Line Lookout. (The State Line Lookout is located along the northbound lanes of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, north of Interchange 2, in the Alpine NJ Section.)

Officers were dispatched to the lookout and met with Alpine officers. A family member of the missing person called and stated that the missing person (Name withheld) was recently diagnosed with cancer and made statements that caused concern for his wellbeing. Officers from both agencies, Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9, as well as members of the Palisades Interstate Park Trail Crew searched over 5 miles of trails in the lookout and into the New York area. Cell phone searches indicated that the missing person was north of the lookout.

After 2 hours of ground search with negative results, the mutual aid response for rappel operations was requested to assist. This is comprised of Closter EMS/Rescue, the East Bergen Rappel Team, and Englewood Cliffs Fire Department. As members of the team began a Cliffside search, other officers continued searching the remaining areas. Shortly thereafter, at approximately 4pm, Chief Chris Belcolle and Robert Collucci of the Alpine Police Department discovered the missing person laying in the woods south of the original search areas. He was dehydrated and had cut his wrists. EMS already on scene for the search operations treated the victim and transported him to Englewood Hospital without further incident.