CORTLAND, NY (607NewsNow) – An elderly man is safe with family after a rescue effort in Cortland. 

On October 11, officers were called to Randall Park around 5:30 p.m. for a missing person. A 73-year-old man, who is not from the area and has dementia, was watching a soccer game, went to the bathroom, and never returned.

After unsuccessful foot searches, Cortland Police initiated a cell phone ping, and a drone unit was deployed. The drone operator, using the unit’s thermal imaging camera, searched locations that were difficult to reach on foot, and the elderly man was found behind a fenced-in area of a nearby business.

According to the Cortland Police Department, he was located within six minutes of drone flight time.