John Peel, a 30-year-old, high-functioning person with autism and a 2017 graduate of Seton Hall University, was found safe in Hackensack on Wednesday morning, October 22, after being reported missing from his East Orange home on October 19. Peel was last seen the morning of October 19 in East Orange near Clinton snd Springdale and was reported missing by his family on Sunday night.
This photo of Peel was captured by a building camera on Sunday morning, October 19.
Social media played an important role in finding Peel, according to his mother. Photos and information that were shared on Facebook groups such as SOMA Lounge were reshared dozens of times across groups in other towns throughout central and northern New Jersey. Peel’s mother told Village Green that the posts were “the best source of sightings.”
“Thank you so much,” she wrote.
Village Green can be reached at [email protected].
