The family of a missing New Jersey man fears he’s been kidnapped in Israel.
Police and search dogs have found personal items believed to belong to the 23-year-old Orthodox Jewish student, Aaron Sofer, in the Jerusalem forest where he went missing, according to an Israeli press report Tuesday.
Police have since told civilians to leave the area, said the report picked up by Israel’s Haaretz Web site.
Sofer hasn’t been seen since Friday, when he went hiking in the forest, according to Menashe Miller, the mayor of Sofer’s hometown, Lakewood, NJ.
Sofer was with a friend who lost sight of him at about noon local time, triggering a massive search in the area.
“A physically, mentally and emotionally healthy young man does not go missing for 72 hours,” Sofer family spokesman Dov Hirth told the Jerusalem Post.
Hirth added that Sofer’s loved ones are upset with the police’s handing of the search to date.
“The family is not satisfied with the way the search and rescue operation has been handled thus far,” he said, as family members called for the Israeli military to be brought into the search.
US Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he’s reached out to Secretary of State John Kerry for help in finding Sofer.
“I learned about Aaron Sofer over the weekend and became very concerned for his well-being,” Smith said, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians has Sofer’s family fearing the worst.
“It’s well known that a murder took place in that forest, and especially with the ongoing tensions with Palestinians, we feel there should be a military presence and involvement in the search for Aaron,” Hirth said.