Engineering student Vitor Franchito, who disappeared Feb. 5, was found Sunday walking near Morrisville.

According to Rodrigo Lourenco, a friend of Franchito’s who filed the missing persons report, a driver on the way to Raleigh/Durham International Airport recognized the student on the side of the road.

“They stopped and asked him if he was Vitor,” Lourenco said. “At first he said he wasn’t, and she showed him his picture and he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m Vitor.'”

Franchito was taken to the Morrisville police district where his father recognized him.

Lourenco said he was “really relieved” to hear Franchito was safe.

“I feel like I’ve been running for 20 miles and I just stopped now and I’m breathing,” Lourenco said.

Franchito is at WakeMed Hospital, where doctors anticipate he will be staying overnight.

His reappearance was good news to his friends, who had initiated an extensive search for him since his disappearance.

“When I first got the news I just started weeping for almost five minutes,” Heloisa Portela Myers said. “We’re just very happy and very relieved he’s doing well and he’s safe.”

Myers worked with Franchito to create a campus club, Brasileirinho.

Lourenco said he last heard from Franchito’s father that he is OK.

“The doctor’s think that today’s not a good day to visit him, so he will probably stay there for the night,” Lourenco said.

Almost 40 volunteers conducted a four-hour search around Lake Johnson last Saturday.

Detective Holly Rinaldo with the Raleigh Police Department said Saturday that missing persons aren’t unusual — there were 15 reported missing persons last week alone. She said the department is short on manpower and resources.

“His family and his friends appreciate all the help that the police and the people gave to us [during the search],” Lourenco said. “And the prayers that came mostly from people that don’t know him.”

Myers, who with Lourenco has been highly involved in the search for Franchito, said they were thrilled at the support they received from the community.

“It’s amazing how many people we had supporting us and many people who did not know him personally,” Myers said. “We really appreciate it; it really made things much easier for us.”