On Monday morning, July 27, 2015, at approximately 3:05 a.m., officers from the Manchester Township Police responded to the area of Portsmouth Street in the Whiting section of the township to investigate the reports of a female yelling for help in the woods.
Upon arrival, officers spoke with the caller, who reported that he went outside to smoke a cigarette and heard a female yelling for help. After speaking with the caller, Officers Arthur Cronk, Brian Volk and Michael Anderson began searching for the female by attempting to follow her voice, which appeared to be coming from a densely wooded area between America’s Keswick, Schoolhouse Road, and the JCP&L power line easement.
While attempting to locate the female, her voice began to fade and her pleas for help became less frequent. Members of the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department as well as a bloodhound from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene to assist with the search. While searching the area, Officer Cronk heard the female’s voice and was able to get a response from her which aided in determining her location.
The female, April Lewis, age 28, of Quakertown, PA, was ultimately located in a tree approximately 15 feet off of the ground. Ms. Lewis stated that she was vacationing at America’s Keswick and had gone for a walk at approximately 10 p.m. without her cell phone. She stated that while walking, she believed that she heard and observed one or more coyotes. As a result, she reported that she climbed a tree for safety and cut a piece of her pant leg off to tie herself to the tree.
Ms. Lewis, whose legs were too weak to climb down from the tree, had to be assisted down by officers and members of the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department. Ms. Lewis was evaluated by Quality Medical Transport at the scene, and released without further medical treatment. The Manchester Police would like to thank the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, and Quality Medical Transport for their assistance in Ms. Lewis’ safe recovery.