A Long Island woman vanished after she jumped out of a moving car in a panicked state and ran off on foot — as loved ones fear she’s in danger.
Brittany Kritis-Garip, 32, was last seen on surveillance footage in the ritzy Oyster Bay hamlet at around 8 p.m. Friday before she was reported missing, News 12 Long Island reported.
Kritis-Garip’s husband, Fernando, said his wife tossed her phone into a bush and fled the area wearing black pants and a black jacket with a fur collar when she leapt from the vehicle.
“We’ve been combing wooded areas, rural areas, suburban areas, everything. So we’re just asking for the public’s help here. We really need the public’s help to locate her,” Garip told the outlet Sunday.
“We’re going to be at this until she’s home. I don’t care what we have to do, what needs to be done.”
Volunteers have zeroed in on a one-mile stretch of marshy shoreline near Oyster Bay Harbor after Kritis-Garip’s wallet was discovered on a road leading down to the water, her friend Sarah Castor revealed on Facebook Wednesday.
Castor — who is helping lead the search for the missing 32-year-old — emphasized that every second is “critical” in the effort to find her.
“While law enforcement is actively involved, time is critical,” Castor wrote on a GoFundMe fundraising page, hoping to hire a private investigator.
She said the goal of hiring a private investigator is to help “canvass areas more extensively” and “review and track leads more quickly.”
Since Kritis-Garip’s disappearance, the Nassau County Police have deployed aerial assets — including a helicopter and drones — near the East Norwich–Oyster Bay border during the search.
Castor asked the public to check anywhere that could offer Kritis-Garip shelter or cover, including sheds, garages, pool houses, under decks and porches, beneath boat covers, and along wooded, marshy, or shoreline areas, on both public and private property.
She also asked nearby residents and businesses to continually check their security cameras for any sightings of the missing 32-year-old.
Kritis-Garip is described as a white woman with brown hair and brown eyes, standing approximately 5-foot-7 and weighing around 140 lbs.
“We believe she was disoriented and frightened, and may think she is in danger,” Castor wrote. “She is not dangerous — she needs help.”
“Brittany is deeply loved. We are doing everything we can to find her — and we are so grateful for your support,” she added.
Anyone with information on Kritis-Garip’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Nassau County Police Department Missing Persons Squad at 516-573-7347.
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