Video from the Asbury Park Press shows Chelsea O'Donnell being picked up by an SUV at the Barnegat Township Police Department Tuesday night.
Barnegat Township Police say they received a call from the Rockland County Sheriff's Department earlier Tuesday evening asking them to check a few homes on Village Drive for a missing juvenile. An officer spoke with a resident at one of the homes and noticed the person seemed "nervous" and "evasive." Police say O'Donnell then told the officer she was in the house. She was then taken to the Barnegat Township Police headquarters.
Police have not yet revealed the connection O'Donnell had with the person she was staying with but don't believe anything criminal occurred. Authorities said she suffers from mental illness and hadn't been taking her medication.
Rosie O'Donnell also announced on Twitter Tuesday night that her daughter was found safe. O'Donnell tweeted shortly before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday that "chelsea has been found safe and is safe in police custody - thank u all for the help and light #missingchildren."
Chelsea O’Donnell had been last seen at her Rockland County home on Aug. 11, Rosie O'Donnell said on her website earlier in the day. South Nyack police were alerted that she was missing on Sunday, and they had been searching for her since. She apparently left the home with her 6-month-old therapy puppy, a 9-pound black terrier named Bear.
"Rosie wants to thank everyone for their help, especially the South Nyack, NY and Barneget Light, NJ police departments," Cindi Berger, a representative for Rosie O'Donnell, said in a statement to NBC 4 New York. "Her daughter Chelsea O’Donnell has been located by the police and is safe in their custody."
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Rosie O'Donnell tweeted photos of her missing daughter Tuesday afternoon. One tweet early Tuesday featured the caption "dude was asking for u today .... dude #urFAMILY #call."
