Manchester missing teen found safe after nearly 2 weeks

UPDATE: Joseph Johnson has been found and is safe, police said on Sept. 8.

MANCHESTER — Police in Ocean County have urged the public to stay vigilant for a teenager, missing for several days.

Manchester Township police said 15-year-old Joseph Johnson was last seen on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 1 p.m.

Johnson was in the area of Laurel Place, in the Whiting section.

Police said he was wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants, white and blue sneakers, and was carrying a black backpack.

The teen was believed to be walking, and was believed to possibly be in the Toms River area.

On Wednesday, the Manchester Police department Facebook account confirmed that the teen was still missing, despite rumors that he had been found.

Anyone who has seen Joseph or knows where he may be, was urged to contact the Manchester Township Police Department at 732-657-6111.

No wait to report missing person in NJ

Law enforcement agencies statewide must accept any report of a missing person, with no waiting period, under Patricia’s Law.

The law was signed in 2008 by then Gov. Jon Corzine was named after Patricia Marie Viola, who disappeared from her Bogota neighborhood more than seven years earlier.

There are approximately 19,000 missing persons reported in New Jersey each year and entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) computerized database.

About 1,500 long-term missing persons, or people missing for more than 30 days, are reported each year.

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