College freshman, 18, who was missing for more than a month is found dead near a New Jersey campus

College student Nick Pratico, 18, was found dead Monday at 10am, officials said
His family confirmed that he was enrolled at Mercer County Community College
He was reported missing by family on Sept 20 after registering for classes
Authorities said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death

Published: 21:51 GMT, 23 October 2017 | Updated: 22:25 GMT, 23 October 2017

e-mail

View
comments

An 18-year-old college student, who had been missing for more than a month, was found dead on Monday not far from his campus.

Police located the body of Nick Pratico around at 10am near the Mercer County Community College (MCCC) on Old Trenton Road in West Windsor, New Jersey.

Pratico was reported missing on September 20 around 10pm by his family after he signed up for college classes.

College freshman Nick Pratico (pictured), 18, who had been missing for more than a month, was found dead on Monday not far from the Mercer County Community College in New Jersey

Police located Pratico's body around at 10am near the college in West Windsor, New Jersey. Pratico was reported missing on September 20 around 10pm by his family after he signed up for college classes

He was last seen at 3pm on the college's campus (pictured) at freshman orientation. Days after his disappearance, his family launched a Facebook page and offered a reward to anyone who could help find him

He was last seen at 3pm on the college's campus at freshman orientation. Days after his disappearance, his family launched a Facebook page and offered a reward to anyone who could help find him.

A security camera recorded footage of him wearing a light blue shirt, black pants and brown slip on shoes.

At the time, he was carrying a navy/royal blue backpack and had his cellphone, which remained offline since his disappearance, according to Help Find Nick.

Family members and friends had searched around the Mercer County and Hamilton areas, as well as close to the MCCC campus three days after Pratico disappeared.

Their extensive search continued for weeks with only one volunteer searcher finding Pratico's student ID card on campus near a lawn.

Pratico had just graduated Notre Dame High School in Lawrence Township in June.

A security camera recorded footage (pictured) of him wearing a light blue shirt, black pants and brown slip on shoes

Family members and friends had searched around the Mercer County and Hamilton areas, as well as close to the MCCC campus three days after Pratico disappeared

Their extensive search continued for weeks with only one volunteer searcher finding Pratico's student ID card on campus near a lawn

Pratico had just graduated Notre Dame High School in Lawrence Township in June before he enrolled into MCCC

His friends from high school posted a video filled with heartfelt messages of thoughts and prayers earlier this month.

Local authorities also paid their respects to the family.

'The Hamilton Police Division extends its deepest condolences to the Pratico family and would like to thank all the contributing state, local, county agencies and civilian volunteers for their assistance in this tragic incident,' the police statement said.

Officials told The Trentonian that they believe he died by suicide. A police source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the newspaper that Pratico was found hanging in the park.

But police have not released those details, and an autopsy will be performed by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding Pratico’s tragic death to contact Detective Len Gadsby of the Hamilton Police Division Criminal Investigations Section at 609-581-4032 or the Hamilton Police Crime Tip Hotline at 609-581-4008.