New Jersey’s “Drone Ranger” Uses Thermal Drones to Rescue Missing Pets for Free

When a five-month-old American Bully mix named Shade bolted into a cold, snowy night in Cherry Hill, his owner Gina Manfredi searched for more than 24 hours. Then she called Michael Parziale.

The Manasquan restaurant owner, an FAA-licensed drone pilot known as the “Drone Ranger,” launched a thermal-imaging drone and located the puppy in 41 minutes.

“Michael donates his time and expertise to help those who cannot afford to hire a professional,”

Manfredi later wrote.

Parziale, 64, runs the nonprofit Unmanned Search and Rescue (U.S.A.R.) Drone Team from the Jersey Shore. He and a small crew of volunteers, including his sons, deploy a fleet of roughly 18 drones many equipped with sensitive thermal cameras to hunt for missing dogs, cats, and even a cow across New Jersey.

Thermal cameras pick up body heat against cooler ground, woods, or marsh. That makes them especially useful after dark or in dense brush where ground searchers come up empty. Parziale typically launches about half a mile from the last sighting and stays within FAA limits of 400 feet.

“I’m doing it in honor of my father, who fought in World War II, and my two grandfathers, who fought in World War I,”

Parziale has said.

“It’s my way of giving back to veterans.”

The team also offers free drone training so veterans can move into civilian work in surveying, agriculture, photography, and search-and-rescue.

In January 2026 the New York Post reported the group had located about 122 animals in roughly two years. Abbie, a nine-year-old Golden Retriever mix that escaped near the New Jersey Turnpike and traveled more than 20 miles, became the 123rd. Parziale told News 12 he found her in seven minutes with thermal imaging. Logan was located in six minutes, the team’s fastest at the time.

Later coverage cited higher totals as the work continued. Families are generally not charged directly; the nonprofit relies on donations and a GoFundMe to keep the drones flying, with special attention to seniors whose pets are often their main companions.

“Every dollar is applied toward that,”

Parziale said.

The operation began after Parziale helped locate a missing man in a Toms River swamp in about an hour and 18 minutes. Pet calls followed quickly.