Missing teen girl from West Newton safe, found with man in New Jersey




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A teenage girl from West Newton reported missing Tuesday was found in New Jersey on Wednesday in the company of a 23-year-old man.
Donna Long, 16, wasn’t harmed and was in the custody of police in Middlesex County, N.J., Wednesday afternoon, according to Officer Michael Stefko of the West Newton Police Department.
He said the girl’s family was expected to travel to New Jersey to be reunited with the teen.
Stefko said West Newton police would consult with the Westmoreland County District Attorney and authorities in New Jersey on possible charges against the man. The girl contacted him through social media, Stefko said.
He did not identify the man or say where he is from.
The teen left her home about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and was reported missing at 5 p.m., police said.
West Newton police Chief Gary Indolf said authorities learned the girl was in Highland Park, N.J., about 1 p.m. Wednesday, through information provided by a friend.
“I’m glad the outcome was a good one,” he said.
A person who answered the phone at the Long residence Wednesday afternoon said the family isn’t ready to speak to media.
Emergency crews searched the Youghiogheny River near West Newton and adjacent sections of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail much of Tuesday evening before calling off efforts about 11 p.m.
Firefighters from West Newton and Collinsburg deployed boats to the river after dogs from the Greensburg bloodhound team stopped at the riverbank during their search, according to a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor.
Searchers checked many of the places Long’s family suggested the teen likes to go.
West Newton firefighters and community volunteers resumed the riverbank search on foot about 10 a.m. Wednesday, aided by a drone operated by Justin Lowanse, community liaison at the Waypoint Youth and Community Center in West Newton.
News that the girl was safe came as a relief to staff and children at the youth center, where two of her younger siblings regularly participate in programs, according to Chris Morse, the center’s chief executive officer.
Some youths who attend the nonprofit center took part in the search, he said.
“We consider the Longs part of our family,” Morse said. “They have a strong faith.”
Donna Long, her three siblings and their father, Gregory, recently lost their mother and wife, Julie, who succumbed April 7 in a battle with cancer.
“Even when she was so sick, she made sure her kids were involved (at the center),” Morse said. “That was probably one of the hardest two weeks that we had here, but the kids all rallied support around them.”