Pennsylvania

College Plans Vigil as Search Continues for Student Missing From Manayunk

Student government also offers reward money

The Pennsylvania college attended by a man who went missing while out with friends on Thanksgiving eve will hold a candlelight vigil to show support for the search for Shane Montgomery.

Tuesday marked day six of the search for the 21-year-old West Chester University student.

The campus planned a candlelight vigil for Montgomery on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. on the front steps of Sykes Union.

The FBI and Philadelphia Police continued their search for Shane Tuesday. The Roxborough native was last seen when he was asked to leave Kildare's Irish Pub on Main Street in Manayunk around 1:45 a.m. Thursday.

Even though Shane was asked to leave, he remained "respectful" and "polite" as he left shortly before closing, according to the bar.

"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 Jim Townsend, director of operations for Kildare's. "His relative — an employee of Kildare’s — walked him to the front door area and his interactions with the staff were polite."

On Tuesday, police searched for surveillance video from other businesses along the 1-mile route between the bar and Shane's home but nothing definitively showed Shane, said FBI investigators.

Over the holiday weekend, hundreds of volunteers fanned out over the area handing out fliers and searching for clues. Police searched the nearby Manayunk canal and the FBI posted digital billboards in hopes of tracking down Shane.

A $25,000 reward, including money kicked in by Kildare's, was offered to anyone with clues about Shane's whereabouts. The WCU Student Government Association also kicked in another $1,000 and put out donation jars around campus.

Family and friends have been unable to reach Shane on his cellphone, which was picked up by a cellphone tower in Lower Merion Township Thursday morning at 2:38 a.m.

Philadelphia police do not suspect foul play, although his disappearance is considered suspicious. Authorities have used K-9s, helicopters and marine units to search Manayunk and Roxborough, as well as the Schuylkill River, which borders Main Street.

Despite all the efforts, the West Chester senior wasn't found as of Tuesday afternoon.

Shane, who weighs about 140 pounds and stands 5-foot-11-inches tall, was wearing a buttoned- down gray shirt, gray hoodie and jeans when he left the bar. He also has a unique Celtic cross tattoo on his shoulder.

"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.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Philadelphia Police at 215-686-3353/54 or the FBI at 215-418-4000.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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