Yisrael Erlich, a United Hatzalah volunteer and one of the first people to find the body believed to be that of Aaron Sofer, says he “was not expecting the incident to end in such a horrific tragedy.”
“I joined a large group of United Hatzalah volunteers that combed the area of Ein Kerem by foot using the organizations GPS system to monitor our exact location, soon after beginning our search we came across a man’s body among the shrubbery that seemed to match the missing student’s description, we immediately notified the police via our phone app and a large group of police and rapid-responders quickly appeared on the scene,” he says, according to a statement.
Although the body is still in the identification process and police have not confirmed that it belongs to Sofer, United Hatzolah head Eli Beer says: “We are very sorry about the tragic ending of the story, we were hoping and praying for a positive end.”
According to the statement, Aaron Sofer’s parents are waiting in the United Hatzolah offices for news on the examination.
Volunteers scour a Jerusalem area forest for Aaron Sofer on Tuesday, August 26, 2014. (photo credit: Flash90)
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