Wilton police located a 17-year-old New York resident Tuesday morning, Sept. 15, hiding in the woods on Middlebrook Farm Rd., following a multi-agency search prompted by multiple reports of a suspicious person moving through residential properties near Ridgefield Rd.
According to a Wilton Police Department press release, dispatchers received a homeowner’s call at approximately 9:10 a.m. reporting a suspicious individual who was seen on a neighboring property. Police said the individual fled into a wooded area after the caller confronted him.
Wilton officers began searching the surrounding area with assistance from Connecticut State Police and the New Canaan and Westport police departments.
At 10:15 a.m., Wilton police placed nearby Middlebrook School on School Rd. under a secure protocol based on reports of a “non-threatening, unidentified person who may have needed support in the area.” Students who were outside were immediately brought into the building and outside doors were locked, while school operations continued normally inside.
During the search, Wilton dispatchers received multiple calls from residents reporting sightings of the individual moving through yards and other properties. Police said the reports “provided valuable information” and helped officers direct search resources.
At approximately 10:25 a.m., officers found the teen hiding in a wooded area near Middlebrook Farm Rd. He followed officers’ instructions to leave the woods and was detained safely, according to the release.
Police determined that the 17-year-old juvenile male had left a behavioral health treatment hospital in Katonah, NY, without authorization the previous evening. After consulting law enforcement authorities in New York, Wilton police determined the incident was not criminal.
The teen was transported to an area hospital for evaluation and care. New York authorities responded to help coordinate his safe return, police said.
“There is no ongoing threat to the community,” Deputy Police Chief Rob Cipolla said in a statement. Police are withholding the teen’s identity because of his age and the circumstances.
Wilton police thanked residents for their timely reports and the assisting departments for their cooperation.
