Missing Babylon man with Alzheimer’s found safe, police say

A 79-year-old man with Alzheimer’s disease, who was the subject of a Silver Alert after going missing from his home in Babylon at 1 a.m. Thursday, was found safe 7 1⁄2 hours later outside Lindenhurst High School, police said.

Suffolk County police said Arthur Eriksen was found unharmed about 8:30 a.m.

Eriksen had last been seen driving his green 2003 Honda Odyssey with a Florida license plate on Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst after leaving his home on Ernest Place.

Concerned relatives contacted police and a Silver Alert was issued by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, which uses the alerts to provide information to the public helpful to locate missing vulnerable missing adults.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”