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Those fears came true Monday, when the body of 40-year-old Andrew R. Fraioli was found across the street from his parents’ home.
No foul play was suspected, Wyckoff Police Lt. Joseph Soto said Monday afternoon.
Fraioli, who worked as a drug counselor in Camden and had no special needs, came north five weeks ago from his Lindenwold home to help his 74-year-old dad dig out from the then-impending blizzard.
He walked outside around 8 p.m. Jan. 31 amid a storm that would eventually cover some areas of North Jersey in up to two feet of snow.
Fraioli's parents thought their son -- who was wearing a long-sleeved, green shirt, pajama pants, and slippers -- was going to get a soda from the garage.
That was the last time they saw him, they told police.
Police conducted several searches for Fraioli around his parents’ Sunset Boulevard home and beyond.
His car wasn’t moved, although his jacket was found nearby after a brief melt three weeks ago.
They pinged his cellphone to the neighborhood before the battery apparently died. A check of his bank account found it untouched.
To be sure, police also checked the area extending north to the tennis courts, south to the community park and southeast to Rambaut Lake and Goffle Brook.
They rooted around the nearby railroad tracks and inside an abandoned house, as well as in several other areas of town. They alerted neighboring police departments and checked with area hospitals.
They also got aerial help from the New Jersey State Police and even brought in Maywood police's accomplished bloodhound, Remi, who caught scents that didn't lead anywhere.
A neighbor across the street called police shortly after 12:30 p.m. Monday after she spotted part of Fraioli's body sticking outside the snow in a front side yard between two houses, Lt. Joseph Soto said.
It was in an area where either blown or plowed flakes accumulated on top of already-fallen snow, they said.
The Bergen County Medical Examiner took the body to determine the cause of death as part of an investigation by Wyckoff police, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, which collected evidence.
Funeral arrangements were expected to follow.
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ORIGINAL STORY: His parents told police they’d just called Andrew R. Fraioli to dinner when he walked out the door of their Wyckoff home nearly three weeks ago.
It was around 8 p.m. The mega-snowfall that would bury parts of North Jersey in up to two feet of snow had already begun.
Fraioli, who was wearing a long-sleeved, green shirt, pajama pants, and slippers, was going to get a soda from the garage – or so his parents thought.
That was the last time they said they saw him.
Fraioli, 40, doesn’t have any special physical, mental or emotional needs, friends and family said. He has a steady job as a drug counselor in Camden.
Co-workers there said they hadn’t heard from him since he went to help his 74-year-old dad dig out from the impending monster snowstorm.
Police pinged his cellphone to the area before the battery apparently died. A check of his bank account found it untouched.
“There’s no foul play suspected,” Wyckoff Police Lt. Joseph Soto said Thursday.
Fraioli’s car wasn’t moved, although his jacket was found nearby after the brief melt earlier this week. The jacket isn’t designed for cold weather, though, and could’ve fallen out of the vehicle at some other time, Soto conceded.
Fraioli is roughly 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, with brown eyes and gray hair.
He’s missing either because of a tragic circumstance or “because he wants to be,” Soto said.
Police have conducted several searches for Fraioli around his parents’ Sunset Boulevard home and beyond.They checked the area extending north to the tennis courts, south to the community park and southeast to Rambaut Lake and Goffle Brook.
They checked along the nearby railroad tracks and inside an abandoned house, as well as several other areas in town. They alerted neighboring police departments and checked with area hospitals.
They also got aerial help from the New Jersey State Police and even brought in Maywood polices accomplished bloodhound, Remi, who caught scents that didn't lead anywhere.
Police have gotten a good number of responses to a social media post, although many are from people who know Fraioli and/or wanted to say they’re praying that he’s OK and will soon be found.
“We hope so, too,” Soto said.
Anyone who sees Fraioli or knows where to find him is asked to contact the Wyckoff Police Detective Bureau at (201) 891-2121. If there’s an emergency situation, dial 911 immediately, authorities said.
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