Maine authorities hunt for Medford teen last seen on lift at Sugarloaf resort

By Lauren Dezenski, Globe Correspondent

Crews are concentrating on ski trails in an effort to locate a 17-year-old Medford resident who was last seen on a chairlift at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort just before 1 p.m. Sunday, officials said today.

The teenager, Nicholas Joy of Medford, had been skiing with his father all morning, said Maine Warden Service spokesman Doug Rafferty. He was last seen near the Timberline trail on the mountain’s west side and was reported missing after failing to meet his family at a designated time, according to a statement released by the ski resort.

“This is a very technical search on rough terrain,” another spokesman for the Maine service, Corporal John MacDonald, said in a statement.

Ski patrollers have been working with officials from the game warden office, using skis, snowshoes, and snowmobiles to search the mountain.

As of 12:30 p.m., crews had finished their search of the top of the mountain and moved on to ski trails, Rafferty said.