Philadelphia police

Manayunk Bar Details Internal Investigation into West Chester Student's Disappearance

Bar kicks in money to bring reward money to $25K

A Philadelphia pub is launching its own investigation following the disappearance of a 21-year-old college student, who was last seen leaving the Manayunk neighborhood establishment early Thanksgiving morning.

“We wanted to put to rest various false reports regarding the disappearance of Shane Montgomery," said Jim Townsend, director of operations for Kildare's, in a news conference Monday afternoon.

Shane Montgomery, a West Chester University student, was kicked out of the Main Street pub after he bumped into the DJ booth, according to his parents.

While Townsend confirmed that Montgomery did bump into the booth, that's where the stories differ.

"Some reports suggest that Shane was thrown out of Kildare’s in an intoxicated condition needing a cab or other assistance... At no point was there any confrontation when he was leaving the premise," said Townsend. "His relative – an employee of Kildare’s – walked him to the front door area and his interactions with the staff were polite."

In fact, several staff members interviewed, including the DJ, referred to the 21-year-old as "polite" and "repectful."

Shane left the bar just before 2 a.m. and hasn't been seen since.

Within hours of his disappearance, friends and family began passing out fliers in Manayunk, Shane’s Roxborough neighborhood and in other parts of the city and suburbs.

On Sunday, two days into the extensive search, the FBI joined the investigation and by late that night, a GoFundMe page was launched to help raise money for the family while they take time off to search for their missing relative.

A $25,000 reward for information leading to Shane is being offered, $10,000 of which was provided by Kildare's.

"As a father, this is heartbreaking," said Townsend.

"We're waiting for him to walk in the door, but you realize that each hour goes... it's just harder and harder," said Shane's father Kevin Montgomery.

Philadelphia Police don't suspect foul play, but are treating the disappearance as suspicious.

Shane was last seen wearing a gray buttoned-down shirt and hooded sweatshire with jeans. He weighs approximately 140-pounds and is 5-foot-11-inches tall.

Anyone with information on his disappearace is asked to call Philadelphia Police Det. Valentino at 215-686-3353 or Shane's mom Karen at 215-920-2569.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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