A New Haven man was arrested in New York over the weekend after authorities found that he was with a missing Connecticut teen.
Officers received a “be on the lookout” alert for a suspect wanted in connection with a missing 15-year-old at 10:40 p.m. Sunday shortly before they were told by Connecticut State Police that the man’s cell phone was pinging in the area of Route 17K and 747 in Montgomery, New York, according to John Hank, chief of the Montgomery Police Department.
Officers responded to the area and found the suspect’s vehicle, discovering that he was the only person inside, Hank said. He was identified as 24-year-old Marcos Mendez.
According to Hank, Mendez told authorities that he told the missing teen to run as officers approached the vehicle. He was taken into custody as police began searching the area.
The search included a K-9 unit from the Middletown Police Department in New York and an officer operating a drone. Hank said the K-9 went on a track for about an hour in a wooded area between Maple Lane and Ridge Road before the teen was found.
“She was found in good health and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation,” Hank said in a statement. “She was reunited with family at the hospital.”
Mendez was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and arraigned before a judge in court in Newburgh, New York.
According to Hank, Mendez was issued an order of protection on behalf of the teen and released.
