Teens Found An Abandoned Car That Would Lead Them To Make A Shocking Discovery

In March 2017 two teenagers from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, would go on to make a mysterious discovery in the local woods. Find out why their surprising story became a viral sensation…

How Did It All Begin?

15-year-old Alec Yanisko and 18-year-old Joe Delvecchio were out riding their ATVs one summer evening. The two teens would often ride their bikes through the local woods. They did not expect this adventure to be any different.

A Very Unexpected Ride

They headed to the local woods near their homes for their nightly ride. As evening fell and the sun began to set, the boys did not assume they this ride would lead them down such a mysterious path. The discovery would change their lives.

Something Lurking

As the teens made their way through the wood, they saw something lay beyond the trees. As they got closer, it soon became clear the mysterious object was a car. Despite this being an ordinary sighting, the two young men instinctively decided to investigate further. Something wasn’t quite right.

Something Does Not Feel Right

The car was at least a quarter of a mile away from the nearest road. There was no sign of anyone else around. The two boys were entirely alone. Their interest was piqued; they decided to make their way closer to the vehicle, hoping to discover more.

Chilling Scene

Once they got closer to the car, Yanisko and Delvecchio discovered that the vehicle was actually stuck. There was something eerie about the car and its strange location. Was someone in the car? Who had abandoned it? How long had it been there? The sun was beginning to set, but they decided to see what would unfold.

Upon Closer Inspection

The boys carefully made their way closer to the car. They soon saw that the car was caught on a log. The more unnerving discovery was that each window had been violently smashed. Shards of glass were scattered on the ground.  There was no one to be seen nearby. Where was the driver? Who had smashed the windows? Was this the scene of a crime?

Looking For A Helpful Clue

The inquisitive pair decided to see whether they could find any clues as to the identity of the owner of the car. They opened the car door and investigated its interior, they checked the glove compartment and looked in the trunk of the car. They checked the surrounding area to see if anything had been left behind by someone who may have fled the scene.

A Clue Was Found But What Did It Mean?

In their search, they eventually came upon a tell-tale clue, they had found a Sam’s Club retail card, which belonged to a man named Edwin Kosik. Who was this man and was he safe?

What Would They Unravel?

They didn’t recognize the name of the driver, they took to Facebook to try and uncover his whereabouts. Their online search told them everything they needed to know about the bizarre situation. The shocking story was beginning to unravel.

An Important Car It Seemed

When they typed his name into a search engine, they found numerous news reports about the man in question. Edwin Kosik was a 92-year-old man who happened to be a well known and respected federal judge. Kosik had been missing for the previous two days. They may have stumbled upon a crime scene. What would their discovery uncover about the man’s disappearance?

Vanished, But Is There More Than Meets The Eye?

The elderly man was nowhere to be seen around the wreckage of the vehicle. The teenagers were understandably confused and bewildered, they rushed home. They did not know whether the man would be found, or what had become of him.

Police Search Begins

The boy told their parents about what they had found. The respective families called immediately. The two young men led the authorities to the mysterious car wreck yet there was still no sign of Kosik in the woods. The officers were unsure of what to do next.

What Did It All Mean?

“I was a little scared,” Yanisko told The Times-Tribune in April 2017. “I didn’t think they’d find him alive.” After the teens had shown police the abandoned car, law-enforcement officials organized a large search party. The officers were accompanied by specially trained dogs. Their discovery was becoming far bigger than the two boys had ever imagined.

Locals Were Very Worried

Highway message boards across Pennsylvania were flashing information about the missing Federal judge. “I’m shocked. I’m very upset because he’s a great man and we don’t want anything happening to him” said Georgia Fisch, of Madison Township. Fisch had known Judge Kosik for years. She took it upon herself to search the local area. “I’ve gone up the mountain, Aston mountain, checking the back roads and stuff, just seeing if he made a wrong turn somewhere and got lost!

Mystery Still Unsolved

US marshals soon confirmed a possible sighting of the missing 91-year-old on the Pennsylvania Turnpike heading toward New Jersey. “Communications with the family has revealed that Judge Kosik has taken medication to aid in memory loss”. The case was becoming more serious, the FBI had gotten involved with the investigation. Suspected foul play had not been ruled out. Locals and officials were desperate to find him.

More Clues

Surveillance footage showed Kosik trying to enter Bill’s ShopRite in Covington Township the night before his disappearance, but the store was closed. After missing persons paperwork was filed, aerial searches were conducted in the area surrounding Kosik’s last known whereabouts. It was discovered that Edwin Kosik disappeared from his home near Scranton around 1:30 a.m.

Disappearance Confuses Everyone

Kosik’s strange story stunned the local legal community where he is well respected. Civil attorney Chris Powell argued in front of Judge Kosik for decades. He considered him a friend as well as an esteemed colleague. “We want to know what happened to him. And everybody has their opinion, as lawyers, among themselves. I was just over in court this morning and it’s on everybody’s mind,” said Powell.

Can’t Rule Out Criminal Act

Martin Payne, the United States Marshall, said that after further investigation, they could not rule out criminal activity that may have occurred. A police helicopter began searching Covington Township and the surrounding woods. Anyone who may have spotted the elderly man was instructed to immediately call 911.

Memory Loss Could Mean Only One Thing

Kosik’s only son was extremely worried. The old man suffered from memory loss, he could have easily become disorientated and abandoned his vehicle and wandered into the cold night. Detectives needed to act fast. The story had national headlines. But would this help?

A Discovery Is Made

To the town’s relief, one of the police dogs eventually led to the discovery of Kosik. The canine managed to pick up the man’s scent and lead the investigating officers to the man’s location, only 100 yards away. The boys were shocked to discover that he was mere yards away from the vehicle.

Alive But Not So Well

Kosik was lying on the ground, cold and confused but, thankfully, he was still alive. Officials were eventually able to talk to Kosik coherently. What had happened to the old man? How had he survived?

Had He Been All Alone For Two Days?

When the police Marshall was later interviewed, he said that it was possible that the judge had been lying on the ground disorientated and alone for two whole days before he was found. “I don’t know exactly how long he was in this state for, but it is very possible that he was there the whole time”.

Hospitalized

Kosik was taken to the hospital to ascertain whether he had suffered any injuries. Attorney Michael Kosik, the judge’s son, told the Scranton Times-Tribune that his father had sustained in two falls past year, breaking two of his ribs.

What Would He Reveal?

Following a checkup hospital staff, a spokesperson for the hospital told the media that Kosik was in a “fair condition.” There were still so many unanswered questions about the strange incident. What caused the man to abandon his vehicle and wander into the woods? Who had smashed the car’s windows?

Judging On The Judges Actions

What exactly had happened to the judge? The details remained unclear. Due to his increasing memory loss, Kosik’s status as a judge had been changed to “inactive” earlier in the year because of his deteriorating mental health. Did this piece together more of the judge’s tale?

Local Heroes

In a stroke of miraculous luck, the teens had uncovered the car. Without their help, Kosik may have remained missing for many more days. Delvecchio and Yanisko were recognized by U.S. Marshal Martin Pane for their part in the search and subsequent discovery of the missing judge.

Piecing Together Clues

It seems the judge had suffered from one of his dangerous bouts of memory loss. While driving through the woods, Kosik became disorientated, forgetting where he was and where he was traveling to. It was concluded that he had crashed into the log, got out of his vehicle and collapsed after finding himself alone in the dark.

Thank Goodness For The Boys

“We’re very thankful to these two young men that they saw this vehicle, happened to be in this area, fortunately,” Pane told Fox News in April 2017. Delvecchio, who has dreams of becoming a police officer himself, said, “We’re glad he’s okay, glad that we could help out.”

Not So Heroic

Although the teenagers have been hailed as courageous heroes, Delvecchio has been reluctant to accept the praise. He has said it was only a matter of being “at the right place at the right time,” according to The Times-Tribune. The two teens were just grateful they could be of any assistance.

New Friends

Fox News reported that the teenagers are intending to spend some time with the judge when he’s fully recovered. They went to visit him in hospital to make sure that the elderly man was safe, out of home’s way and in better health.

Proud Of Their Actions

These two boys used their initiative to work out the mysterious backstory after they discovered the car. They may just have saved Kosik’s life. Since the judge remembered little of the incident, the two boys wondered; would they ever know what had truly happened?

Paid It Forward

After all the tireless searching locals rejoiced at the news that the man was found. Authorities would never know exactly what really happened. Despite the happy ending, the mystery would always remain.

So Thankful

Edwin’s son said in an interview with the news “I don’t know how I can ever repay them, for helping to bring my father back to me”. Edwin himself was so grateful to the two brave young men. Many other teens would not have taken the trouble to save the old man’s life.

Honored For Their Bravery

The two teenagers were honored in Lackawanna County. Joe Delvecchio and Alec Yanisko were presented with certificates of good merit and civil leadership for their amazing initiative at Dunmore High School.

Judge Watches Proudly

The judge, once he had made a full recovery, returning to his good health, even came to watch the boys’ receive their much-deserved accolades, “It was an honor to watch them receive their award, I am sitting here today because of them”.