Lansdale Police have issued an arrest warrant for 38-year old Joseph Sarni.
Sarni was last seen on July 8. His family and friends suspect foul play and have mounted a search for him.
On Friday, police issued a warrant for Sarni's arrest. Investigators say he was selling cocaine, marijuana and narcotics in Lansdale Borough.
Police raided Sarni's Walnut Avenue apartment last month, after making some controlled buys from him. Investigators seized drugs and other items.
Police say their primary focus is to find Sarni and make sure he's safe.
His sister, Jamie Parsons, tells NBC10 she believes someone took her brother against his will from his apartment.
“He doesn’t deserve this,” said Parsons while in tears. “You ask people around town and they’ll tell you he’s always helping them.”
Friends and family told police Sarni had recently shown signs of depression. Parsons also claims her brother was beaten up and threatened by a group of people at the end of June.
“We don’t know who they are or how badly he was hurt,” said Parsons.
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“He would call me for anything,” said Sarni’s best friend Jamie Posavec who employed him at an auto detail shop. “If he was in trouble with someone he would call me knowing I could protect him.”
Sarni’s neighbor Judy was in tears when she spoke to NBC10. She tells us Sarni spent the night at her home because his air conditioner was broken. He went missing a day later.
“He seemed like he was nervous about something,” said Judy. “He’s not usually like that around me.”
On Thursday, family and friends of Sarni searched the neighborhood, passed out fliers and spoke with residents and business owners.
“I’m going to help pick some different clothing or items that we could get a scent off of,” said Sergeant Matthew Tartaglia, a member of a local church outreach as well as a search and rescue task force.
The sergeant is arranging to have dogs search the area Friday morning.
Sarni is 5-foot-8 with a thin build, hazel eyes and brown hair. Police also say he has a scar under each eye and tattoos on both arms.
Credit: Lansdale Police Department
Sarni also suffers from severe asthma and left his asthma inhaler behind at his home, which his family says he never does.
Sarni was entered as a missing person in the nationwide law enforcement database on Monday. If you have any information on Sarni’s whereabouts, please call the Lansdale Police Department at 215-368-1801.
