Missing Couple May Have Been Spotted in Hunterdon County, Police Say

A missing Wayne woman and her boyfriend may have been spotted in Hunterdon County Tuesday, police said.

A woman reported to the Garfield Police Department that she picked up two people walking along Route 12 that “resembled the missing persons,” Garfield police said.

“We’re not sure if it’s them. It’s just a possibility,” Capt. Darren Sucorowski. “The woman reportedly thought it was too cold for the people to be walking outside and she offered them a ride.”

The woman drove the pair to the Hunterdon County Library in Flemington, which was being used as a warming center. Flemington is located about an hour southwest of Wayne.

Rodriguez, 24, and Pereira, 25, were last seen at Pereira’s Wayne home between 8:30 and 9 p.m. Dec. 27.

Wayne police said Tuesday that they have no information to indicate Rodriguez and Pereira are “in jeopardy.”

Lubys Cruz, Rodriguez’s cousin, said the families have not been in contact with either Rodriguez or Pereira since Dec. 27. Pereira did not take her wallet or a coat with her when she left home.

“It’s really alarming the way they were dressed and how cold it’s been,” Cruz said. “We’re staring to get really concerned.”

Rodriguez is 5-foot-11, weighs 180 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants.

Pereira is 5-foot-6, weighs 150 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. They were seen in a white 1998 Honda Prelude with the license plate E77AYX. The car has tinted windows and a New York Giants decal on the back.

Anyone with information can call the Wayne Police detective bureau at 973-633-3530 or the Garfield Police Department at 973-478-8500.

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.