MONSON, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A 16-year-old Monson teenager, identified as Matteo, was found safe in Connecticut Tuesday afternoon, along with his two dogs, following a multi-state search and rescue operation involving 18 agencies and 150 personnel across western Massachusetts.

Shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday, a Connecticut State Police K-9 team located Matteo just over the state border in the Stafford area.  Crews had been working around the intersection of Moulton Hill Road, where he was last spotted, and Leonard Street when Matteo walked out of a wooded area and approached the nearest rescue crews on his own.

Matteo was reunited with his family at their home on Moulton Hill Road before being transported by ambulance to an area hospital for evaluation as a precaution.  The family’s two dogs, a pug and a boxer, were also recovered and returned to the home.

Rescue teams conducted a full day of searching on Tuesday before returning to the woods early Wednesday morning, working alongside Mass. State Police and fire crews on both sides of the state line.

Monson Police Chief Nicholas Gasperini said coordinating the multi-agency effort across state lines added to the difficulty of an already challenging search.  “One of the challenging aspects of this was the terrain and the vast area and the rugged topography, as well as the state border,” he explained. “Not that we did not search over the border, but coordinating with other agencies that we don’t normally work with was challenging.”

Monson Fire Chief Brian Harris said the successful recovery made the effort worthwhile.  “It feels fantastic to come out with a positive outcome like this,” he added.

Matteo’s grandmother told Western Mass News she was grateful he had been found and praised the work of the rescue crews. No further details on Matteo’s condition were available Wednesday evening.

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