( CNN ) -- A young man huddles under a thick gray blanket , pressed against a steam grate as he braces himself against the biting cold . While on assignment over the weekend , an Associated Press photographer took his photo to show the effects of unusually cold weather sweeping across the country . The man , who only gave his first name -- Nick -- was a face in a crowd of homeless people huddling to stay warm on a Washington street , just blocks from the U.S. Capitol . But all that changed when the photograph appeared in USA Today Sunday . Hundreds of miles away in an upstate New York town , the man was much more than a face in a crowd . Nicholas Simmons was missing . And a mother who saw the photo in the newspaper realized she 'd found her son . A disappearance on New Year 's Day . In Rochester , New York , the man 's face appeared in local news reports last week as police and frantic family members searched for him . Police in the town of Greece , New York , said Simmons , 20 , disappeared New Year 's Day from his home , driving away in a red Buick with only with what he was wearing : plaid pajama pants , a gray T-shirt and sneakers . He left his wallet and cell phone behind . Family members and authorities had been looking for him for days without any luck . There were few leads without a phone or credit cards to track him . `` We could n't do a lot of things we normally would do in a missing person 's case , '' said Capt . Patrick Phelan of the Greece Police Department . But the photo became the answer to the Simmons family 's prayers . The family learned about the photo through a public Facebook page they 'd set up , according to an article published in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle . Simmons ' sister , Hannah Simmons , sent a message on Twitter to USA Today reporter Natalie DiBlasio , who wrote the story . `` Please contact me , '' the tweet read . `` You wrote an article for USA today that features a picture of my missing brother . '' Family members also reached out to AP photographer Jacquelyn Martin , who captured the image . Communication between Simmons ' family , DiBlasio , Martin , and the Greece Police Department helped the Washington Metropolitan Police track down Simmons . Now he 's reunited with his family , police said . Washington Metro Police Officer Araz Alali said he 's considered a `` missing person returned . '' On the Facebook page , his mother Michelle Simmons said she was stunned . `` We are going to get him home safe , and this is by far the greatest example of God 's love and divine intervention I have ever experienced , '' she wrote , according to the Democrat & Chronicle . `` I am beyond able to put into words how I am feeling . '' Questions remain . It 's unclear why Simmons left home and what brought him to the streets of Washington . According to police , Simmons is fine physically but distraught . He was taken to George Washington University Hospital for evaluation , Phelan said . The hospital declined to comment , citing privacy restrictions . Phelan said police were told there was a `` discussion '' between Simmons and his parents that may have made him leave home . `` There was no indication or precursors to believe he would do something like this , '' Phelan said . The police official described Simmons as a normal 20-year-old living at home with his parents and working part-time jobs at local fast food chains . Just a day after her brother was found , Hannah Simmons sent Martin a message of appreciation on Twitter Monday . `` You have saved our family , '' she wrote . `` Thank you so much . '' Photographers take portraits for people who would n't have them otherwise . CNN 's Allison Malloy contributed to this report .
Police Officer Nicholas Simmons went missing after leaving his New York home . An Associated Press photo showed him on the streets of Manhattan . His family reached out to newspaper reporters , photographer to find him .