O LASSIE: Missing

A missing 78-year-old man who crashed his car in the middle of the New Jersey wilderness was rescued thanks to his loyal dog and an eagle-eyed off-duty cop.

Fred Rapp’s daughter reported him missing around 8 p.m. on Nov. 27, said Manchester police, about four hours after she last saw him.

Daughter Heidi Sarno gave police her father’s cellphone number, his vehicle and his medical conditions. Cops tried several times to call the phone but got no answer.

Authorities determined the elderly man was somewhere within the 251-acre Crossley Preserve and used a drone to search through the dense woods. Police also drove through several trails but struggled to pinpoint Rapp’s location.

Early the next morning, off-duty Manchester Sergeant Charles Brooks was out hunting in the woods when he came upon a dog on the trail. It was Rapp’s pup, named Petie.

“Sgt. Brooks assumed the dog had wandered from its owner and decided to attempt to reunite the dog with its owner,” Manchester police said in a post on Facebook.

Brooks then tracked the dog’s paw prints for several hundred yards, which led him to Rapp’s crashed car. Police called Rapp’s cellphone again and he finally answered, authorities said.

The elderly man was found and taken to Community Medical Center for evaluation, officials said.

“This situation highlights the fact that a police officer is a police officer 24/7,” said Manchester Police Chief Lisa Parker. “We are truly fortunate that Sgt. Brooks was in the right place at the right time because without his help there is no telling how this story would have ended.”