Social media has come as a boon to many and there is no denying the fact. While it has boosted some to fame in a matter of days, some have used it as a platform to reconnect with their loved ones.
In a similar miraculous find, police have tracked down a renowned Harvard law professor, Charles Ogletree, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. And who do we have to thank? Of course, social media.
According to News18, Ogletree, who is also an author and an activist went missing and was last seen at his home in Pemberton. In a bid to locate the 66-year-old man, the Cambridge Police took to their official Twitter handle to post an alerting message about the same. The tweet read,
“The #CambMA Police are seeking the public’s help in locating a 66-year-old man, who has Alzheimer’s. Charles Ogletree was last seen at his Pemberton Street home in Cambridge today at approximately 5:40 p.m.”
In a comment below the original post, the police also added a description of what Ogletree was wearing and a contact number for people to reach if they found him.
“He was last seen wearing a black jacket with a fur hood and black cap. He was also wearing black pants and black shoes. He is 5’10, has a thin build and a mustache.”
“Anyone who sees Ogletree or may have info about his whereabouts is asked to call 9-1-1 or 617-349-3300.”
And guess what? In just two hours time, there was some news about the professor! A Twitter user going by the name of Pat Jan had spotted him at a pizza outlet in Brighton. He took to the micro-blogging site to give an update about the find and also mentioned that Ogletree is safe and sound.
he was in brighton house of pizza. When we saw that he was lost we found him and called the police to help him get home
— Pat jan (@Patjan19) April 17, 2019
He is safe found him in brighton and gave him a slice of pizza as well
— Pat jan (@Patjan19) April 17, 2019
The Cambridge Police seemed delighted with the piece on information and thanked everyone who helped them in reaching Ogletree.
“Great news. Professor Ogletree has been located in Boston. Officers are in the process of bringing him back to Cambridge.”
Thanks to everyone who assisted with this search, including our social media followers, media partners, @MAEnviroPolice and @bostonpolice.
— Cambridge Police👮🏽 (@CambridgePolice) April 17, 2019
The update came as a relief to the Netizens including the professor’s former students. People also hailed the Cambridge Police for being intelligent enough to use social media as a platform, while they thanked Pat for his good heart.
Wow didn’t know professor ogletree has Alzheimers so happy he was found and is safe but finding out this way is just terrible. He has a brilliant legal mind.
— Aloy’s Strider (@Oracle_Dave23) April 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/WhutNtarhooties/status/1118364718639583233
Hooray!! Hip hip Hooray!!
— Prowl Alert~El Ras (@ProwlAlert) April 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/JonBowen/status/1118470337006592002
I've had some experience with a person with Alzheimers deciding to go on a walk-about. I can empathize with the feelings of alarm and relief experienced by friends of Prof. Ogletree.
— Karen J (@KaJo503) April 17, 2019
Prof. Ogletree is a legend to those of us who studied law in the 1980s. Glad he is safe and headed home.
— Jeff, the Grouchy Neighbor (@chathamdad) April 17, 2019
Did you know what a brilliant wonderful man this was who you rescued? https://t.co/ZHe2NOFj9F
— Lauri T. (@laurirose) April 17, 2019
Woah. The incident speaks volumes about the power of social media. Time to head back home, Sir!