Teachers, classmates excited teen is safe

MEDFORD, Mass. (WHDH) -- Medford High School teachers and students were overjoyed to hear 17-year-old Nicolas Joy was found safe on Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine.

Joy went missing Sunday afternoon and was found Tuesday morning by a snowmobiler.

Friends, classmates and teachers of the senior said Joy had an interest in survival skills and techniques. They said he is an avid skier, camper, and a big fan of the show “Man versus Wild.”

The school found out Joy was safe during second and third period on Tuesday.

“When 9 o’clock came and we got the news, there was cheering all over. It was wonderful,” said Lisa Ianelli, Joy’s teacher. “I can’t wait to see him. I want him to come back.”

“It’s just amazing, amazing, what he did. He’s a very smart young man and he was able to hold it together,” Ianelli added.

“Nick’s a smart kid. He’s always finding ways to do things,” said Kevin McLaughlin, Joy’s classmate. “I was hoping he was all right the whole time. I was scared. So many things could have gone wrong.”

“I think everyone is relieved and feeling good that he’s found and now we need to make sure that Nick is feeling good -- physically okay, psychologically okay -- so he can come back to school and resume his normal life,” said Roy Belson, superintendent of Medford Public Schools.

Nick is in his senior year. He plans to attend community college next fall.