A 63-year-old woman who went missing while hiking in New Jersey has been located without apparent injury, after a New York resident spotted her on their home’s Ring camera.
Carol Heimbach, of Wayne, N.J., initially disappeared during her hike Sunday afternoon in Ringwood State Park, in Passaic County. When she still hadn’t turned up by 10 p.m. that night, her family phoned police.
A search party was sent out around 1 a.m., and at least 10 teams explored the area well into Monday morning, according to CBS News.
Later the same day, a resident in Sloatsburg, N.Y., located roughly 5 miles from Ringwood State Park, spotted Heimbach on their doorbell camera and notified authorities.
“It is important to thank the community with this, because had they not had the wherewithal and paid attention to the Facebook page … This individual obviously took the time, recognized, was aware of the situation and appropriately called the authorities to where we can get this to a positive resolution,” said New Jersey State Park Police Chief George Fedorczyk.
Police reported Heimbach was safe and uninjured, but appeared disoriented. She was driven to the hospital to be evaluated.
She’s reportedly now back at home and recovering after having spent an entire night alone in the woods.
Heimbach, who was identified by multiple outlets after police shared a photo of her on their Facebook page, was a frequent hiker and even volunteered at the state park, according to local law enforcement.
Authorities noted that she’d left her cellphone in her car before her hike, although it’s unclear if that was intentional or if it contributed to Heimbach losing her way.
