NEVERSINK – It was a happy ending for a lost eight-year-old boy, who wandered away from a family picnic into a wooded area off Aden Hill Road in the Town of Neversink on Independence Day.

The child walked away at 5:45 p.m.; he was found at 11:45 p.m. dressed only in shorts and a t-shirt in 50 degree nighttime temperature. Forest rangers found the child about a quarter mile into the woods. He was evaluated by EMS at the scene and found to be uninjured.

When he was discovered missing, a search was initiated by State Police using troopers, K-9 and a helicopter. State forest rangers and Neversink Fire Department personnel responded and set up a command post.