Update 12:30 p.m. Monday
The first call about this man came in at 6:48 p.m. Sunday, according to police, when a Ponus Ridge woman said she saw the man in her backyard and spoke with him briefly. Based on that interaction, the resident said the man appeared to be suicidal and possibly under the influence of drugs.
She then phoned police to say the man had disappeared into the woods off of Ponus Ridge in the area of Four Winds Lane, according to a police report.
New Canaan Police deployed K-9 unit Apollo and were assisted by Stamford and Pound Ridge, N.Y. police, as well as Connecticut State Police, who brought a bloodhound, according to the report.
The man was located at about 2:15 a.m. at Stamford Hospital Emergency Room. It isn’t clear how he got there, police said. Officials withheld his name, citing privacy laws.
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Update 6:45 a.m. Monday
Officials say the man police had been seeking in the area of Ponus Ridge near the New York State line has been found. According to Emergency Management Director Mike Handler, all schools and buses will operate on a normal schedule.
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Original Article
Emergency management officials urged residents of upper Ponus Ridge to keep children and pets indoors late Sunday as police from New Canaan and neighboring towns searched for a 24-year-old white man believed to be suicidal and under the influence of drugs.
According to a reverse 9-1-1 message issued by Emergency Management Director Mike Handler, the man in question was seen in the area of Ponus Ridge near the New York state line.
“This individual is described as 6’4″ with short dark hair, wearing glasses, shorts and a tie-dye shirt,” Handler said in a message issued around 10:30 p.m. that also is posted to the New Canaan Office of Emergency Management Facebook page. “Residents in the area are advised to keep children and pets indoors. Police from New Canaan, Stamford, Pound Ridge and the CT State Police are involved in the search. Please call 911 if you see anyone resembling this description or any suspicious behavior. Further updates will be provided as new information becomes available.”
OEM officials said in a comment thread on their Facebook page that they tried to send the message to the specific geographical area in town affected by the emergency call-out.
Police and emergency management officials have encouraged New Canaanites to register with a free and secure emergency notification system called Smart911. By creating a secure “Smart911” safety profile online and updating information on it, New Canaanites will help police, firefighters and EMTs do their work more efficiently, potentially saving lives as well as property.
NewCanaanite.com will update this article as more information becomes available.