An 89-year-old Pennsylvania man took a wrong turn on his way to store, and ended up 900 miles away in Alabama.
On Saturday, Jody Tarbutton got in his truck planning to go to the local Walmart to pick up some electrical supplies, according to WVTM. But it didn't work out as planned.
The Walmart is about two miles away from Tarbutton's home in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, a small town about 20 miles from Philadelphia. The weather was bad, and somewhere along the way he took a wrong turn. And then Tarbutton, who didn't have a cell phone, kept going. And going. And going.
His daughter, Cindy Gatta, eventually started to wonder, and filed a missing person's report. She told WVTM, "I went to his house and I couldn't locate him and when I went to the garage his truck was gone."
On Monday morning, after driving 897 miles, Tarbutton ended up at the Galley Restaurant in Haleyville, Alabama, where he encountered police officers Clay Wilson, Rodney Lewis, and Austin Lewis, according to AL.com. Haleyville Chief Kyle Reogas explained, "He asked where he was and told them he was lost." He went on, "He didn't know where he was supposed to be, so the officers ran his license information and found out he was listed as missing and endangered in Pennsylvania."
Tarbutton was taken to the police station, where officers contacted his family. Then, he was taken to a local hospital to be treated for dehydration and high blood pressure.
Tarbutton is now back home safe with his family, which Gatta called "a Christmas miracle," according to NBC Philadelphia.
The Associated Press reported that Gatta "said her father has never been clinically diagnosed with dementia and attributed his unexpected road trip to old age and forgetfulness."
