A teenage girl who had been missing for nearly a month has been found safe, all thanks to her father’s relentless efforts.

Emmarae Gervasi from East Patchogue, Long Island, mysteriously disappeared on December 9 when she stepped out to retrieve items from a car outside her Tyrell Street home.

Just 14 years old, she was spotted entering another vehicle without a jacket or shoes in the rain. Surveillance footage later showed her at a motel in Bohemia the following day, knocking on doors.

Following this, she vanished again, causing great distress to her family. Her father, Frank Gervasi, alongside local authorities, organized numerous search efforts to locate her.

The Suffolk County Police Department conducted extensive searches with the aid of police dogs and helicopters throughout upstate New York but came up empty-handed.

Determined to find his daughter, Frank utilized social media to gather leads on her location and offered a $10,000 reward for information. He also drove around Long Island tirelessly searching for her.

After receiving some peculiar calls from unknown numbers, Frank managed to locate Emmarae alive on a Friday afternoon.

An anonymous tip led him to a large boat docked in Islip, near the White Cap Fish Market, about 13 miles from their home.

Frank shared with News 12, “I did find her myself before police got there. It was the end of 26 days of hell seeing her alive in my arms. It was a gift from God.

“I can’t describe the feeling I had when I grabbed her.”

Emmarae is currently receiving medical attention, while investigators continue to look into the circumstances of her disappearance.

In a Facebook video posted on Saturday morning, Frank expressed gratitude to everyone involved in the search and shared how he located his missing daughter.

He said, “I’d like to thank the community for all the support you gave us. Posting all the videos, pushing all the content, handing out flyers, donating your time to look for my missing girl. It is those things that are going to help bring other kids home.

“I got an anonymous tip yesterday, and I want to thank that person for coming forward and giving me information about my daughter. The phone call that I received was that she was on a boat in Islip. I followed it up on my own and I went down there to check.

“I bust into the boat and recovered my daughter. She has been saved and is alive.

“I believe it was persistency that helped bring her home.”

Frank suspected Emmarae initially left with an acquaintance but was afraid to return due to potential repercussions.

He also speculated she was later picked up by a stranger who took her to a trailer park and subsequently the boat.

FOX5NY reported that Emmarae had a history of drug addiction and had left home before, though never for such an extended period.

Her court-monitored ankle bracelet was discovered cut-off near her home.

Emmarae’s mother, Melissa Dervay, shared with Greater Long Island, “The moment I heard her voice and knew she was OK, I felt a weight lifted off my body.

“I’ve been so tense for the past four weeks, quietly fighting a battle. Now, I’m elated. I feel light, and I just want to scream, ‘She’s OK. She’s been found.’”