NJ Turnpike Helps Find Boy's Beloved Teddy Bear Lost Along Highway

— -- When a young boy was devastated after losing his beloved teddy bear named Beary somewhere along the New Jersey Turnpike, the turnpike authority's staff and employees at a Sunoco gas station made it their mission to find the wayward bear.

"My son had Beary since he was a baby," said Julissa Viana of New City, New York. "He was devastated. Really, really upset and in disbelief we couldn't find it. He cried."

Viana told ABC News today that the bear got lost on Saturday, when she and her family had set out on a road trip down the East Coast to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for vacation.

"We had stopped at one of the service stations along the turnpike, and my husband rearranged some of my son's belongings, so it may have fallen out of the car," she said.

No one noticed Beary had vanished until nine hours later, when the family arrived in North Carolina.

"We were all searching the car frantically," Viana said. "We even called one of the service stations to see if anyone recovered it, but no one had."

On a whim, Viana said she decided to try her luck on social media the following day. She tweeted:

When she didn't hear back, Viana tried tweeting again on Monday.

Several friends and family members also tweeted in an effort to help find Beary.

It appears that all the online love Beary got may have upped his luck.

Within a few hours, the NJ Turnpike tweeted back at Viana and told her they believed they had the teddy bear in custody.

The bear was found by Sunoco gas station workers at a service area near Old Man's Township, according to NJ Turnpike spokesman Tom Feeney.

"We were ecstatic," Viana told ABC News. "We couldn't believe it. When we saw the photo the NJ Turnpike posted on Twitter, we were floored."

The bear was immediately packaged and shipped to Viana's home in New York, Feeney said.

"When we heard that this boy lost his stuffed bear, it was obvious it meant a lot to him," Feeney told ABC News today. "We were very glad we could help him be reunited."

Viana said Beary is expected to arrive back home today, but her son won't get to be reunited with him until Sunday, when they return from their vacation.

"We definitely weren't sure if we were ever going to get him back, but I'm glad we didn't lose hope," she said.