A Rochester Institute of Technology student from Onaway, Michigan, who had gone missing last month has been found safe and sound.
Matthew Grant, 22, had last been seen in Henrietta, New York, driving a gray Jeep at about 10 p.m. on Nov. 20, before going missing, leaving his cellphone behind. On Wednesday, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in New York announced on Facebook that Mr. Grant was safe and “reunited with his family.”
The sheriff’s office did not say why Mr. Grant had gone missing. Mr. Grant‘s was found in Pennsylvania, more than 300 miles away from RIT‘s New York campus.
Authorities in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, found Mr. Grant‘s car Tuesday, sparking a search of nearby Mount Minsi. Mr. Grant, an avid hiker, then found out about the search and went to a police station in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, to call his mom and tell her he was safe, according to WHAM-TV.
Mr. Grant also called his father, unaware that the family had driven to Pennsylvania upon hearing that his car had been found.
“And partway through the day my phone rang, and it was him and he didn’t even know we were there, how close we were to him,” father Mark Grant told WHEC-TV.
The jubilant dad also told WHEC-TV, “He is worth every ounce of everything we’ve given, every mile we’ve driven, every ounce of energy we’ve given. He’s worth that and more.”
RIT officials also celebrated Mr. Grant‘s safe return.
“Throughout this ordeal, the care, encouragement and assistance of this campus has been unwavering in the effort to aid in the search. I want to thank the RIT community for their steadfast support in locating Matthew,” RIT Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Sandra Johnson said in a statement.
