A 15-year-old boy with autism who vanished during a school field trip at Monmouth Battlefield State Park was found safe Wednesday evening, ending a search that stretched on for nearly eight hours and pulled in hundreds of first responders and volunteers. The teen, identified in most reports as Kamilo Giraldo of Howell, disappeared from the sprawling Manalapan park at 11:46 a.m. and was not located until shortly after 7 p.m.
According to ABC7 New York, deputies, police and search dogs spent hours combing through the park before Giraldo was found safely. The outlet reports that the search lasted nearly eight hours before it ended with his recovery that evening. CBS News New York, which first reported the search, had described authorities looking for a 15-year-old boy with autism at the same park.
Monmouth Battlefield State Park is a massive place to search for anyone, let alone a teenager who may struggle to communicate his location. The park spans 2,764 acres, per ABC7 New York's reporting, giving searchers an enormous stretch of trails, fields and woods to cover as daylight waned.
Hundreds Joined the Search Across Manalapan
The scale of the response reflected just how seriously authorities treated the disappearance. The search effort drew hundreds of first responders and volunteers to the Manalapan area, according to a statement from Toms River officials, who confirmed the teenager was safe and being reunited with his family. The same statement did not specify where exactly in the park he was ultimately located.
Deputies, police and search dogs were joined by drones as crews fanned out across the park's acreage, the ABC7 New York report notes. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the Sheriff's Office and Manalapan Township Police Department were all involved in the search, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Family and Authorities Shared Key Details to Aid the Search
As the search unfolded, authorities released specific details meant to help the public spot the missing teen. Giraldo was last seen wearing a blue jacket and gray pants, the Asbury Park Press reported. The outlet also noted that per the Monmouth County Prosecutor, Kamilo is verbal but may not be able to express exact thoughts — a detail authorities shared to help volunteers and first responders understand what they might encounter if they found him.
Patch.com reported that Giraldo was last seen at 11:46 a.m. Wednesday at the park. That timeline conflicts with the original CBS News New York report, which stated he was last seen Saturday morning at the same park. The discrepancy between the two timelines has not been resolved in subsequent reporting.
Separately, CBS News New York's initial report referred to the teen as Camilo Giraldo, while ABC7 New York, the Asbury Park Press and Patch.com all identified him as Kamilo Giraldo. It remains unclear which spelling is correct based on available reporting.
A Relieved Ending to a Tense Afternoon
For a park that size, with hundreds of searchers working against a setting sun, the outcome could have gone very differently. Instead, the teen was found shortly after 7 p.m., according to ABC7 New York, bringing the hours-long search to a close and allowing him to be reunited with his family, as confirmed by Toms River officials.
