The runaway 16-year-old New Jersey girl who set off a Twitter firestorm after she falsely indicated an intruder was in her home and then disappeared has been found safe, police say.
Kara Alongi was located walking along the side of the New Jersey Turnpike about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
"Kara Alongi was found safe and unharmed,” said Alan Scherb, spokesman for the Clark Police Department, in a statement. “She was discovered by troopers with the New Jersey State Police walking along the side of the Turnpike near Exit 1.”
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Alongi was transferred to a north Jersey hospital for evaluation and was released a short time later and returned home.
Alongi gained thousands of followers after asking people on Twitter to call 911 Sunday because an intruder was in her home and then vanishing. People re-tweeted her message and #helpfindkara trended on the social network.
Investigators later said it appeared Alongi had voluntarily called a taxi company and gotten a ride to the Rahway train station, which police say was confirmed by a surveillance photo captured of her at the depot.
Police: No foul play in missing NJ teen Kara Alongi case
Alongi's case continued to polarize the Twittersphere Tuesday, as some insisted she had met foul play and prayed for her safe return.
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Others were skeptical from the get-go, pointing out a Tweet that allegedly popped up on Alongi's account shortly after her initial call for help that said: "Why is everyone saying I'm missing? I was jkin haha" and was deleted a short time later.
When NBC 4 New York called the missing girl's home, someone quickly answered "no comment" and hung up. No one answered the door at the Alongi's residence.
NBC News' Sevil Omer contributed to this report.
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