ACTON — A 5-year-old boy from New Jersey was found safe in the woods overnight by a woman and her search and rescue dog.

Christopher Grecco had been hiking in the woods with his family members off Hussey Hill Road on Sunday.

He was located in the woods at about 2 a.m. today, about a half mile from where he was last seen, by  Maine Search and Rescue Dog handler Dorothy Smail and her dog Tala, the Maine Warden Service said in a news release issued this morning. Corporal John MacDonald said the boy was taken to his relatives and then to a local hospital to be checked out.

Grecco became separated from his relatives at abut 6 p.m. Relatives searched for the boy before calling York County Sheriff’s Office around 8 p.m.

More than two dozen Maine wardens, York County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Maine State Police, searchers with York County Emergency Management Agency, the Maine Search and Rescue Dog organization, and Acton Fire & Rescue personnel searched for the boy.

As well, canine teams from the Maine warden service and a bloodhound team from New Hampshire assisted in the search, wardens said.

A number of local residents offered to help.

Maine Warden Service officials issued a reminder to folks to stay together while hiking, not take shortcuts, wear proper clothing for the weather and have a safety backpack.

Officials also recommend when looking for a lost person to do so for about 15 to 20 minutes and then call the Maine Warden Service so that professional search resources and management can be mustered to find the individual.