Missing RIT Student Speaks Out After Being Found Safe Following 3-Week Search: ‘Incredibly Grateful’

Matthew Grant, a 22-year-old Rochester Institute of Technology student, had been missing since Nov. 20

A New York college student who was missing for three weeks has been found safe in northeastern Pennsylvania, authorities said.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Wednesday that Matthew Grant, 22, had been located and reunited with his family.

Grant, a Rochester Institute of Technology student who was last seen on Nov. 20, turned himself in at a police station in Palmerton at about 4 p.m. local time, according to NBC affiliate WHEC-TV.

The student made a phone call to his family and told authorities that he believed that he was the subject of a missing persons report, police told WHEC.

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On Tuesday, Grant’s Jeep Cherokee was located about an hour away in Delaware Water Gap, in a parking lot used by hikers near the Appalachian Trail, the station reported.

The development set off a search-and-rescue effort on Wednesday, with about 30 firefighters scouring the area, which features rocky terrain and cliffs, per the report.

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His parents in Michigan, who had already been alerted to the news that their son’s car had been found, were en route to Pennsylvania when Grant turned himself in, per WHEC.

According to WHEC, Grant ended his hike after reporting to the authorities that he had a "negative" encounter with someone. He then met with the U.S. Park Service Police at the Delaware Water Gap, where he later reunited with his mother.

Family members posted a statement from Grant on Facebook Thursday morning in which he acknowledged that he was “doing much better now.”

“Hello everyone, Matthew Grant here,” the student wrote. “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone that helped in the search process. I feel incredibly grateful to have people like you all in my corner.”

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“It's hard to understand just how much support you will have, regardless of how you are doing personally," Grant continued. "I am doing much better now that I am reunited with my family.  It means the world to me. I don't have my phone right now but as soon as I do I will try and thank every person I can individually. I can't say it enough, thank you so much."

RIT also released a statement about the happy outcome for Grant, who is co-captain of the school’s wrestling team.

“Throughout this ordeal, the care, encouragement and assistance of this campus has been unwavering in the effort to aid in the search," Sandra Johnson, senior vice president, student affairs, wrote. "I want to thank the RIT community for their steadfast support in locating Matthew."

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