An 8-year-old Jewish boy went missing near a massive cave in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a large-scale search effort. At around 6 PM, Tzion Maron of Baltimore was with his family at the Lava River Cave in Flagstaff when he walked in an unknown direction from the entrance to the cave. He has not been seen since.
Hatzolah Air has joined the effort and has flown a plane piloted by its CEO Eli Rowe with a team of highly trained search-and-rescue professionals from Rockland Chaveirim and advanced equipment. The aircraft landed in Arizona just before 10:15 AM, with the team expected to join the ongoing search within the hour.
Sheriff Louis Falco of Rockland County Sheriff personally called the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department to apprise local law enforcement what Rockland Chaveirim is and does so that the process of incorporating them into the search mission goes smoothly.
In addition, Rockland Police Liaison Hershy Margaretten and Rockland Chaveirim Coordinator Yossi Margaretten have been intimately involved with the efforts, coordinating between law enforcement in Rockland and Arizona to ensure the success of the search team’s emergency deployment.
Additionally, Hatzolah of Los Angeles is driving a mobile command center to the scene, and numerous volunteers are heading to the scene. Rabbi Dovi Shapiro from Chabad of Flagstaff and Rabbi Moshe Lobal, a rav in Scottsdale, are at the scene as well, assisting the family and coordinating with law enforcement.
As of Thursday morning, efforts to locate the child are still ongoing. The search was hampered by heavy rains on Wednesday night in the area, with full-scale operations resuming early Thursday.
Tzion Maron is described as a white male just over 4 feet tall and about 50 pounds with brown hair and eyes. He was last seen wearing a grey shirt with blue stripes, navy blue pants and sneakers.
Anyone with information on Tzion should contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-774-4523 or Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.
Please daven for the safe return of Tzion ben Chaya Rivka.
A team of volunteers from local Baltimore Organizations has been assembled to go out and search for Tzion, this fundraiser has been arranged to help cover the cost of the search effort as our local volunteers are currently paying out of pocket for the travel and equipment needed for this search. Click to Donate
