BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
EDISON — News coverage of the 52-year-old township man reported missing since July 10 led to an anonymous tip to his whereabouts and a subsequent happy ending.
Edison police found Thomas Roach alive and well at a substance abuse rehabilitation facility.
Roach phoned his family members within 36 hours after television reports and news articles appeared on Aug. 29 about his reported disappearance from outside Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerville in July, police said.
Police determined that Roach had voluntarily checked himself into a substance abuse rehabilitation facility after being discharged from the hospital. Although his car appeared to be abandoned, Roach simply left it in the hospital’s parking lot because he was privately transported to a treatment facility.
Police Detective Jeff Tierney, who handled the investigation, said he received an anonymous tip on Aug. 30 from someone who saw the news reports, recognized Roach and was able to narrow down the likely rehab facilities where Roach might be staying.
“From there, it was just a matter of old-fashioned legwork,” Tierney said.
Due to privacy protections under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPPA) Act, medical facilities are not required to assist police locate someone undergoing care or treatment.
“Someone at one of the facilities I contacted got word to Mr. Roach that his family was worried about him, prompting him to phone them and put their minds at ease,” said Tierney.
Police Chief Thomas Bryan commended Tierney for his efforts.
“It’s rewarding when a missing persons case has a happy ending,” said Bryan, “Police work is sometimes a partnership between our officers or detectives and the public-at-large. They are our eyes and ears in the community and, in this case, helped bring peace of mind to a concerned local family.”
Roach’s relatives told police that he is ordinarily close with family and friends, and they had last heard from him on June 2.
In addition to filing a missing person’s report with police, his family created a website seeking the public’s help, which was updated to say Roach had been located and is safe.