Police Search for Young Couple Last Seen in Wayne

Police are attempting to locate a Wayne resident and her boyfriend after they were last seen at the woman’s home late last month.

Melissa Pereira, 25, and Jorge Rodriguez, 24, of Garfield, were last seen Friday, Dec. 27 at Pereira’s Wayne residence between 8:30 and 9 p.m. They also went to Kmart that night to purchase candles. The couple has been together for three years.

“We have no information to indicate they are in jeopardy,” Wayne Police Detective Capt. James Clarke said. “The families are concerned because they have been unable to contact them. The police department is actively assisting the families in attempting to locate these individuals.”

Pereira didn’t take her wallet with her and left her jacket at home, said Angie Escobar, Rodriguez’s cousin. Rodriguez did not call out of work. They were supposed to go to the Cherry Valley Manor, a bed and breakfast in the Poconos in Pennsylvania.

“They booked a reservation but the hotel told us they never went there,” Escobar said. “They didn’t even call for a refund.”

Escobar said someone keeps using Pereira’s phone to make calls and then shuts it off.

“If we can find Melissa, we can find Jorge. They seemed happy they were going away,” Escobar said. “One thing did seem a little strange though. Jorge said goodbye twice. At the time, we didn’t think anything of it.”

Garfield Police Capt. Darren Suorowski, supervisor of the department’s detective bureau, did not return a phone message for comment.

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.

Detective Dennis Farray is the lead Wayne investigator on the case. 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.