Missing New Ken man, Slippery Rock student, found safe in California, state police say

A New Kensington man who was reported missing in Butler County more than two weeks ago has been found safe in San Diego, Calif., officials said.

Trooper Jim Long with the Butler barracks said Gregory Jones, 21, was found by officers with the San Diego Community College District Police Department at 1 a.m. Sunday.

“It sounds like he was actually picked up in San Diego, by a community college,” Long said Monday. “I don’t know if any charges have been filed, but it seems like he was in a place where he necessarily wasn’t supposed to be. We don’t have the details on that.”

*Missing person UPDATE*
Gregory JONES, 21 YOA, from New Kensington and Slippery Rock, has been missing since late October. On 11/8 at 1AM he was located in California by the San Diego Community College PD. He is in good health and no foul play is suspected. pic.twitter.com/K5DgCwzTS0

— Troopers Black and Long (@PSPTroopDPIO) November 9, 2020

Joe Ramos, police chief with San Diego Community College District Police Department said Jones was found on the college’s San Diego City College campus in downtown San Diego.

Ramos said officers were responding to an alarm call when they came across Jones at the campus. The officers made contact with Jones, ran his information and found that he had been reported missing. Ramos said Jones was found late Friday or early Saturday morning.

Jones was not arrested, Ramos said.

“We contacted his family, and I guess they probably are the ones that notified the authorities up there that he’d been found,” Ramos said.

Jones was safe when he was found, Ramos said.

Ramos said Jones was cooperative with police, but did not tell police why he was in San Diego.

Jones is a junior computing major at Slippery Rock University. He was last seen on campus Oct. 25.

Long said state police were contacted about Jones because he was reported as a missing person. Investigators are trying to determine why Jones was in San Diego.

“We actually have a supervisor working on that now, seeing exactly what his status is in California,” Long said. “Then we’re going to go from there.”

Slippery Rock informed the campus community about Jones in a Monday statement.

“I am happy to share with you that our student, Gregory Jones, who was reported missing Oct. 25, has been located and is safe,” said Chief Student Affairs Officer David Wilmes. “The university is grateful to those university community members and local media outlets for their help in spreading the word of Gregory’s disappearance in an effort to locate him.”