It has now been two weeks since Paige Aiello was reported missing. The College senior has not been seen since Tuesday, April 9.
Her father was the last one to see her in person at their Hillsborough home at 1 p.m. that day. Security footage places her at the 7th Avenue exit of New York Penn Station at 4 p.m., according to reports. Her belongings were found on the walkway of the George Washington Bridge later that evening.
There have been no new updates from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office regarding this missing person investigation as of Monday, April 22.
Although there is no new public information, support continues to grow and remain strong on campus and online.
Last Tuesday, marking one week since Aiello’s disappearance, a prayer service called Prayer for Paige was held on the tennis courts. Athletes InterVarsity, a prayer group for members of the College’s athletic community, orchestrated the event. Athletes InterVaristy is part of the New Jersey Christian Fellowship.
The 30-minute event began with a prayer read aloud, and then the group was broken up into four corners of the court. It was in this space that attendees were encouraged to write down any thoughts, feelings or prayers using markers provided. These pieces of paper were then placed in a cardboard box to symbolize sending the prayers to God.
According to Katelyn Ary, who serves as a captain for Athletes InterVarsity, there were approximately 300 people in attendance, including administrators, coaches, student athletes, athletic department members, classmates and friends of Aiello.
“It was a blessing to see the support of the athletic communities as entire teams showed up to the event together,” said Ary, sophomore nursing major. “As an athletic community, we believe it is so important to support each other. As athletes who are unified by the colors that we wear and who we represent, it’s our responsibility to rally around each other when one of us is hurting.”
Explaining the intentions of the highly emotional, yet hope-filled evening, Ary said, “The way we see it, Paige is an athlete just like the rest of us, on a TCNJ team like any of ours. Our hope for Prayer for Paige was to bring hope to the athletic community. We prayed that night, and continue to pray that people receive hope and peace through this troubling situation.”
Not only have students gathered on campus to show support. Social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, have become major sources for spreading hope and information.
The Find Paige Aiello Facebook page has over 7,000 likes. Groups have planned searches in New York City through this page.
Last Saturday, volunteers handed out flyers in and around Penn Station. A similar search is planned for Tuesday, April 23.
The Aiello family is now offering a reward for any information regarding their daughter’s whereabouts. According to flyers, no information is too small and anyone who may know something about Paige Aiello’s disappearance is encouraged to call an anonymous tip line at 908-447-5135.
