A large-scale search for a missing 16-year-old boy came to a successful end on Wednesday evening, after volunteers from the Israel Dog Unit (IDU) located the teen alive following more than 24 hours of intensive operations in the Elad region.
The teen, Mordechai Rotman, a resident of Beitar Illit, was last seen on November 25, 2025, and was reported missing after traces of him were lost in the area. Given that he was considered a high-risk missing person, the Israel Police and Israel Dog Unit, a nonprofit specializing in working dogs, began searching for him immediately.
Throughout the day, volunteers conducted wide-ranging field searches, collected CCTV footage, carried out interviews, and operated rescue dogs and drones across Elad.
IDU spokespersons repeatedly appealed to the public to share the teen’s photo and assist with any information that might help direct search efforts. By late afternoon, the IDU reported that the boy had last been seen in Elad around 3:30 a.m., prompting heightened urgency.
At 19:04, the IDU announced that the missing teenager had been found alive in the Sharon region thanks largely to information received following the widespread public distribution of his picture.
“The discovery was made possible thanks to our publication and your extensive sharing,” the IDU said in its statement. “We thank the public for their help - together, we saved a life.”