An abandoned car found in a remote area of North Huntingdon prompted a two-hour search Friday morning for a missing Erie man that ended when he was located several miles away near Delmont.
North Huntingdon police Chief Mike Daugherty said a 2008 Ford sedan owned by Stephen Dufala, 56, was discovered Thursday night on Medics Farm in the Shafton section.
"The car was found on a dirt road and had been there for two to three days. The road is like a cow path, so the car was so stuck he could not have gotten it out," he said.
A resident told police he saw a fresh set of tracks in the snow on Tuesday, but the car was not discovered until Thursday night.
Police organized a ground search at about 8 a.m. yesterday, enlisting officers with canine units and several township fire departments. Daugherty said rescue teams were preparing to bring in all-terrain vehicles when they received word Dufala had checked out of a motel near Delmont on Wednesday night.
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