South Brunswick Deputy Police Chief Locates Missing Child from Dayton

During the frantic wide scale search for a missing 9-year-old from Dayton last night, South Brunswick Police were unable to turn up a single lead about the child's whereabouts following his disappearance at 6 p.m. yesterday.

Zarak Khan was reported missing at 9:30 p.m. Thursday night  He had last been seen by his sister riding his bike on East Garden Way around 6 p.m. police said.

As soon as the search began, South Brunswick Police did a door to door canvass through the apartment complex and brought in dogs to help. Firefighters began to search area neighborhoods and the New Jersey State Police sent a helicopter to the area, but there was still no sign of the child, police said.

The Monmouth County Sheriff's Department and a Hillsborough Police K-9 unit were also involved in the search.

"His family said he never stays out later than sundown," police spokesman Sgt. James Ryan said at around 11:30 p.m. last night.  "Based on what the family provided, they said they were moving out of the country to Pakistan in the next couple of days so he may have been unhappy about that."

At around 12:15 a.m. South Brunswick Police Deputy Chief Kevin Hughes was headed towards the area to oversee the search efforts, police said. Before arriving at police headquarters, Hughes decided to head five miles north of the search area to check local businesses that were still open.

At about 12:30 a.m. Hughes observed the missing child on his bike near the Shoprite on Route 130 in North Brunswick. He pulled up next to the child, who police said appeared to be cold, and told him he would bring him home.

Deputy Chief Hughes then took the child back to his anxious parents, police said.

"The determination and commitment that Kevin showed in this case is the attitude he brings to work everyday," said Chief Raymond Hayducka.

Chief Hayducka also thanked the following agencies for their assistance with the search: New Jersey State Police, National Center for Missing Children, Hillsborough Police, Monmouth County Sheriff, Monmouth Junction Fire Department, South Brunswick Office of Emergency Management, Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management.