Police Locate Suicidal 72-Year-Old in Ramapo Reservation

Police located an apparently suicidal 72-year-old township resident alive in the Ramapo Reservation about 14 hours after he was last seen in his Mahwah home, Chief Jim Batelli announced in a release Thursday.

Cops first received a call from the man’s friend at about 7 p.m. Wednesday saying she had not seen or heard from him since the night before, which was unusual, Batelli said. Relatives told cops the man had not been in touch with them for several days, police said.

When Officer Keith Iorio responded to the man’s condo off Ridge Road, he found the man’s wallet, keys, car, and an unsigned suicide note, Batelli said. Police did not detail specifics, but said the note mentioned, “personal issues.”

Police canvassed the man’s neighborhood, spoke to neighbors who had seen him the day before, and used the GPS signal from his cell phone to locate his last active coordinates in the area of the Ramapo Reservation, police said.

Mahwah and Bergen County Police Officers searched the reservation and made “several attempts,” to call his cell phone, Batelli said.

“Communication was made and officers were able to locate him at an overlook in the reservation,” Batelli said in the release.

He was found with a bag of pills, Batelli said. Though he did not have any physical injuries, the BCP gave the man medical treatment due to his age and number of hours he had spent in the woods, police said.

He is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation in a private facility, Batelli said.

The scene was cleared at about 3 a.m. Thursday, police said.