A Silver Alert is active for 79-year-old Jose Rodriguez, who vanished on foot from a South San Jose neighborhood yesterday and has not been seen since. Rodriguez was last spotted around 10:30 AM near the intersection of Mac Duee Way and Bagpipe Way, a residential stretch in the 95121 ZIP code near the Evergreen and Meadow Fair districts. Authorities describe him as an at-risk missing person and are urging anyone who sees him to call 911 immediately.
The California Highway Patrol activated the alert on behalf of the San Jose Police Department, according to a bulletin shared by CHP Alerts. Rodriguez is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 170 pounds, with gray hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, a blue shirt, and dark blue pants. The alert notes he is believed to be traveling on foot rather than by vehicle.
SILVER ALERT - Santa Clara County
— CHP - Alerts (@CHPAlerts) August 29, 2026
Last seen: Mac Duee Way and Bagpipe Way, San Jose@SanJosePD
IF SEEN, CALL 9-1-1 pic.twitter.com/mxPnAr3ma6
How California's Silver Alert System Works
California's Silver Alert system dates back to 2012, when Senate Bill 1047 codified Section 8594.10 of the state Government Code to help police locate missing elderly or cognitively impaired residents, according to the California Highway Patrol. Under that law, an alert can only be triggered once a missing person is 65 or older, or cognitively impaired, once local police have already used their own search resources, and once the disappearance is deemed unexplained or the person is considered in peril. Requests are routed through CHP's Emergency Notification and Tactical Alert Center, a Sacramento-based unit staffed around the clock that coordinates statewide alerts on behalf of municipal departments like San Jose's.
Because Rodriguez is believed to be on foot rather than in a vehicle, the alert will not appear on the electronic freeway signs many drivers associate with these bulletins. State law changes made under AB 643 in 2016 restrict those Changeable Message Signs to cases where investigators have confirmed a specific vehicle is involved, meaning community tips and direct calls to 911 remain the primary way an on-foot case like this one gets solved.
Why Speed Matters in Wandering Cases
Silver Alerts have become one of seven distinct public alert categories the CHP operates, alongside AMBER, Blue, Yellow, Feather, Ebony, and Endangered Missing Advisory alerts. Between the program's 2013 launch and late 2018 alone, the agency logged nearly 1,400 statewide activations for missing at-risk adults, underscoring how often California police departments lean on the tool.
The stakes in cases involving wandering seniors are steep. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that roughly 60 percent of people with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia will wander from home or a care setting at least once during their illness. Research from the University of Florida found that as many as 46 percent of memory-impaired wanderers not located within 24 hours face a serious risk of death or injury from weather exposure and other hazards, while the same research found that 82.3 percent of wanderers who are ultimately found safely are located within the first 12 hours. Rodriguez's case falls squarely within that critical early window, and police have not stated whether he has a diagnosed cognitive condition.
San Jose has seen a string of similar cases in recent months. Hoodline previously covered an East San Jose man's vanishing act in January, as well as Silver Alerts for missing seniors Supannee Phromduangsi in November and Imelda Sabanga in January. No further details on Rodriguez's condition, direction of travel, or possible destination have been released. Anyone who sees him is asked to call 911 right away.
