Rescuers use drone technology to find dog that escaped along New Jersey Turnpike

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Associated Press (AP) — A dog escaped from a rest stop along the New Jersey Turnpike and wandered for about 25 miles (40 kilometers) before she was found safe the next day with help from a drone.

Abbie, a 9-year-old golden retriever mix, was travelling from a South Carolina shelter to a planned new home in Maine. She was one of several dogs in a van that had stopped at a service area in East Brunswick around 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the shelter, Final Victory Animal Rescue.

The dogs' handlers were letting them take a bathroom break when Abbie ran off.

Abbie was equipped with a tracking tag to show her general location, and volunteers with the New Jersey-based Unmanned Search and Rescue drone team — which assists with pet search and rescue efforts as part of its mission — used thermal imaging from an unmanned drone to lead rescuers to her. They found the wayward dog in a wooded area, and Woodbridge Township police eventually rescued Abbie around 2 a.m. Sunday, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from where she initially escaped.

Abbie was cold and very fearful when the officers found her, and she was later found to have suffered a hip injury that will require surgery, police and rescuers said.

It was the USAR’s 123rd dog rescue, the team said.

In a social media post late Monday night, Final Victory Animal Rescue said Maine was no longer in Abbie's future — she's back in South Carolina and will be adopted by the Columbia family that had been fostering her.

“With boots on the ground and eyes in the sky, Abbie was located and recovered safely,” the shelter said. ”A huge thank you to every agency involved for showing up when it mattered most."