When a family in New Jersey loses a pet, Michael Parziale sometimes sees places they cannot.
The restaurant owner founded the U.S.A.R. Drone Team, a nonprofit that uses drones equipped with thermal cameras to search for missing animals. At night, those cameras can pick up body heat in woods, fields, marshes and other places that are difficult to search on foot.
By January 2026, Parziale and his team had helped recover 122 animals across New Jersey, including dogs, cats and even a cow.
Some searches have been remarkably quick.
When five-month-old puppy Shade disappeared in Cherry Hill and spent a freezing night outside, Parziale's thermal drone found him after about 41 minutes of searching. Another missing dog, Logan, was located in just six minutes.
The team operates with volunteers and an 18-drone fleet, responding to families when a pet disappears and time can make a huge difference.
For Parziale, a small glowing shape on a thermal screen can mean something much bigger on the ground.
A family getting their pet back.
The restaurant owner founded the U.S.A.R. Drone Team, a nonprofit that uses drones equipped with thermal cameras to search for missing animals. At night, those cameras can pick up body heat in woods, fields, marshes and other places that are difficult to search on foot.
By January 2026, Parziale and his team had helped recover 122 animals across New Jersey, including dogs, cats and even a cow.
Some searches have been remarkably quick.
When five-month-old puppy Shade disappeared in Cherry Hill and spent a freezing night outside, Parziale's thermal drone found him after about 41 minutes of searching. Another missing dog, Logan, was located in just six minutes.
The team operates with volunteers and an 18-drone fleet, responding to families when a pet disappears and time can make a huge difference.
For Parziale, a small glowing shape on a thermal screen can mean something much bigger on the ground.
A family getting their pet back.