BAKERSVILLE — Kelley Simon is a typical 8-year-old.
The Cub Scout and soccer player from suburban Pittsburgh got the urge, as kids his age often do, to ride his bike just beyond parental limits while on vacation Monday in the Somerset County mountains.
A wrong turn here, another there, and he was lost.
Nearly two hours later, after a search by dozens of volunteers and state troopers, Kelley was found walking through the woods by two other vacationers.
He was shaken and scratched, but otherwise unharmed.
“I’ve never been so frightened,” said his mother, Rebecca Simon of Gibsonia.
Simon and her husband, Nate, had taken the family up to a cottage tucked in the hills off Jimtown Road for a week’s vacation. They said they told Kelley he could ride his bike on the driveway, but he wasn’t allowed on the road.
When they went to their car, Kelley was nowhere
to be found.
“He just took a path up behind the house,” Nate Simon said. “Before he got too far, he didn’t know where he was.”
County dispatchers received a report of the missing boy about 10:55 a.m. Volunteers from the Bakersville, New Centerville and Somerset fire departments; a state police helicopter and troopers; and rangers from nearby Kooser and Laurel Hill state parks were called in to search.
“The only way to do something like this is to go after it as if it’s your own kid,” state police Trooper Lou Dirienzo said.
Stephanie Davis, 21, and Ryan Davis, 18, both of Finleyville, Washington County, were sleeping in a nearby cabin when a state trooper told them about the missing child.
“I just didn’t want to stop looking,” Stephanie Davis said. “I would have felt terrible.”
The two scoured the wooded hillside overlooking the house where the Simons are staying. After the chopper flew overhead, they heard a boy screaming and found him just after 12:30 p.m.
The boy was found near where fellow vacationer Jim Firanski, 33, of Pittsburgh had just spotted two mother bears and three cubs gnawing on a haystack.
“Words can’t describe how much we appreciate what they did today,” Rebecca Simon said. “The state police and fire departments were helpful, too.”
“The response was faster than I thought,” Nate Simon added.
When they saw their son, the Simons broke into tears.
“He’s a fantastic boy. He has never disappeared,” Rebecca Simon said. “As soon as he saw me, he said, ‘Sorry Mom, sorry Dad.’ ”
Local News
Boy found safe after 2-hour search
- Local News
-
-
Mild winter speeds work: Entertainment venue may be complete by end of May
An unusually mild winter has accelerated construction of a new outdoor entertainment venue in Johnstown.
-
Man jailed on rash of charges
A Patton man is being held on $100,000 bond after police said he threatened to kill a woman, her family and himself unless she talked to him about a protection-from-abuse order.
-
Cambria abolishes 16 jobs
Following through on promises to cut budget costs, the Cambria County commissioners voted Thursday to abolish 16 positions, including nine full-time jobs.
-
Blogging with heart
Anyone else have this issue: The more I know, the more I want to learn.
As I am writing my heart month stories for this week’s packages, I occasionally come across a term or description unfamiliar to me. So I look it up. And then the definition or article has something else that sounds important, so I look that up. -
Wozniak defends his support of drilling bill
State Sen. John Wozniak, D-Westmont, one of only seven Democrats to support the Marcellus Shale legislation adopted this week, said the bill protects the environment and provides help to local communities impacted by the natural gas drilling.
-
Businessman hoping to unseat Wozniak
Tim Houser uses two words – “challenging opportunity” – to describe his goal in this year’s elections.
-
Judge tosses evidence in robbery
A Cambria County prosecutor said he’ll have to drop robbery charges against a Twin Rocks woman after much of his evidence was suppressed by a judge.
-
Shooting defendant pleads to attempted murder
A Philadelphia man pleaded guilty Thursday in county court to attempted murder and theft in a Nov. 18 home invasion in which the homeowner was shot.
-
Garrett man sought in Somerset crime
An arrest warrant has been issued for Samuel McFarland Jr., 33, of Berlin Street in Garrett in connection with Saturday’s robbery of two boys outside Dollar General on East Main Street in Somerset.
-
City man shot during alleged burglary
A Johnstown man was shot during a burglary attempt in Indiana County and then burglarized a home in Armstrong County before he was arrested, authorities said Thursday.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
